


Duty Calls

by MissMy80sShows



Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [1]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:57:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 48,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMy80sShows/pseuds/MissMy80sShows
Summary: Billy has an interesting assignment for Lee and Amanda which makes them question where their marriage is headed. Set in my version of Season 5. S5P1





	1. Chapter 1

Duty Calls

*The characters only belong to us in our hearts... Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Enterprises own them. Story for entertainment purposes.*

Chapter 1

The door to Q Bureau was locked when Lee got there first thing in the morning. He wasn't in the best of moods. His alarm hadn't gone off for starters. Then he had dropped his coffee just before he got in his car, barely missing his shoes and pants with the splash back. Of course, he hit every red light and managed to end up behind every school bus the entire way there. Now, finding the door locked, he figured Amanda was late too.

Opening the door, he realized the lights were on as was his computer. "Amanda? Amanda?" he called, trying to figure out why the door was locked but everything was on.

"In here," she called from inside the vault.

Stepping inside, he saw her and instantly smiled. "I thought you weren't here but then I saw the lights. Why was the door locked?" he stopped and looked at her strangely.

Standing inside the vault, Amanda was dressed in a pale pink skirt, white blouse, and sensible pink heels. Her arms were loaded with files that she was taking out of the drawers. As she walked past him, she stopped to give him a light kiss on his cheek. Putting the files down she let out a sigh. "I didn't want anyone to open it and hit me on the way by," she teased.

Looking around, Lee realized almost every surface was piled with files. Looking between Amanda and the vault, he finally asked, "Amanda, what are you doing?"

"Well, if we were at home, I would call it spring cleaning but since we are here…. Let's call it re-organization. Every time I try to figure out the old filing system it never makes sense, so, I'm going to refile everything so it does make sense," she explained.

Shaking his head, Lee carefully stepped around the piles she had placed on the floor in front of her desk. "Amanda, some of those files have been in there for years. I'm not even sure what's in them."

Sitting down at his desk, he noticed she hadn't put anything on it. His own pile of files on the keyboard was there from yesterday. He needed to finish signing off on them before giving them to Amanda to put away. On top of the files was a simple cream-colored envelope. His name was written in calligraphy on the front. Opening it, he pulled out the contents. "Amanda, he's not serious is he?" Lee called to her.

She knew exactly what he was talking about. "Lee, he just thought it was the right thing to do," Amanda replied, not understanding why he was upset.

"Amanda, the right thing to do? Joe King decides to get remarried, practically rubbing our noses in it and you say he thought it was the right thing to invite me to the wedding?" Lee was frustrated. Here was Amanda's ex-husband practically flaunting his engagement and now his wedding in front of them.

"Will you calm down, please. He just thought it was a nice gesture since you and I are now openly 'involved'." Amanda tried to calm him down.

"Openly involved? Is that what we are resigned to calling it?" Lee's voice was getting louder but he didn't care. Right this minute, he didn't care who heard him.

"Lee! Lower your voice or someone is going to hear you!" Amanda snapped at him. She usually held her own tongue but today he was unbelievable.

"Amanda..." he started loudly, then softened his voice considerably, "I just hate that Joe King can be open about his wedding to Carrie and you and I have been married for 6 months yet we can barely spend a night together as husband and wife."

"Lee, I know, I don't know how much longer I can do this either but we have the boys to consider. And mother. I know they have really warmed up to you since what happened in California but I think it's still too soon," Amanda said calmly.

"You're right, you're right." Lee stood up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her. "I just want to have my wife in my bed every morning when I wake up, not 15 miles away."

Amanda ran her hands over his lapels, "I want that too. You don't know how much it bothers me to have to sneak out of the house to have a few quiet moments with you. But we decided, for now, it was best." Amanda couldn't even begin to explain her frustration to her husband.

Lee looked at Amanda's face. He could see the strain it was putting on her even though she tried to hide it. Kissing her on the forehead, he sighed, "I'm sorry, it's just already been a bad morning. The alarm didn't…"

"Oh sorry, that was my fault. I think I hit the switch yesterday when I was cleaning," Amanda admitted.

"That's ok. It happens. Then I dropped my coffee…" he started again.

"Fresh pot waiting for you, a new container of half and half in the fridge," she smiled, knowing he was going to need that coffee now. "I'd ask if you had breakfast but I know the answer to that one," she laughed.

Stepping back, Amanda walked around and poured him a cup. She handed it to him as she walked back into the vault to get another armful of files. "I'm almost done with this section. Then I'll sort them out, refile them and move on to the next. I don't have anything on my schedule for today so I'm sure I can get it all done by the end of the day."

Lee looked around the room, shaking his head. "Amanda? How in the world are you going to get this all done today?"

"One file at a time. Besides that, I found a bunch of them were actually empty. No labels or anything," she indicated toward a stack on her chair. "It looks like someone just emptied a box of file folders in the drawers.

"That's weird. Do you know which drawer they came from?" Lee sensed something wasn't right. Everything in the vault was supposed to be old case files.

Amanda's eyebrow went up. She knew that tone in his voice. "Um, yeah. Here, I'll show you," she said as she walked back into the vault, indicating Lee to follow her. Inside the vault, she turned and knelt down in front of one of the filing cabinets. Lee followed her, stopping on one side of the cabinet, blocking the doorway to the vault. "They were in here," Amanda said, as she tried to pull the drawer open.

Neither one of them heard Francine open the door to Q Bureau and she could barely see into the vault as she walked in the room but she could hear them.

"I can't get it out," Amanda said as she tried yanking on the drawer to open it.

Lee stood there with his coffee cup in hand still, "Just give it a good hard pull."

Francine tried to peer around the door and all she could see was Lee's back and Amanda's skirt pooled on the ground in front of his feet. Covering her mouth with her hands, she leaned in to try to hear more.

"Lee, I'm telling you, I've tried pulling it several times, I just can't get it out," Amanda emphasized pulling on the drawer again.

Francine's eyes widening, her mind racing to all the wrong places.

"Amanda, here, let me try. I have more experience with these than you do. Sometimes it can be hard to handle," Lee said as he started to lean forward.

Francine couldn't take anymore, "Stop right there, Scarecrow. You know if Dr. Smyth finds you two in there doing…. I don't want to know what…"

Lee turned around to face Francine, her face bright pink as she blushed, "And what exactly do you think we are doing in here, huh Francine?" he questioned. Seeing her face, he tried hard to suppress the grin he felt coming.

Stammering Francine looked at him, then at Amanda on the floor trying to pull the drawer open, "I… I…. I just heard Amanda saying she couldn't…. Oh damn." Francine realized it was totally innocent and once again she had put her foot in it. Trying to cover herself, she picked her head up, gave herself a quick shake and said, "Billy is looking for the report on the Ponte Allen case."

Amanda looked up at her, also trying hard not to smile, "Please tell Mr. Melrose I'll have it for him this morning. Lee just needs to go over it, which he will as soon as he helps me get this drawer open."

Francine once again looked at Lee and then Amanda. "I'll do that," she said as she turned and walked out of the office as quickly as she could.

Lee and Amanda looked at each other and immediately started laughing. "I don't even want to know what she thought we were doing," Amanda said.

Lee just looked at her strangely for a moment, "Amanda, you know that thing you do…" he started as he winked at her.

"Lee, I would never do that here… That's for… only when we are alone…" Amanda tried to shush him.

Laughing, Lee leaned down to give her a quick kiss. "And I look forward to the time when we are alone," he teased.

Now it was Amanda's turn to blush. "Stop and help me," she said, dramatically trying to pull the drawer loose again. Lee reached down and gave the drawer a firm tug. It finally opened. He pulled it out completely to see if something was stuck behind it. As he peered into the space left behind by the missing drawer, he saw it. Reaching in, he pulled out a very dusty, wrinkled shirt and under it a large sealed envelope.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Lee, what is that?" Amanda asked as he pulled everything out of the space.

"I don't know. I've never seen it before," Lee commented. Carrying the shirt and envelope to his desk, the first thing he did was look them over. "They've been in there a long time from the looks of them."

He looked between the two items to decide which he wanted to investigate first. It was odd, to say the least, to find them stuffed under a drawer filled with empty files. Picking up the envelope, he carefully opened it, allowing the contents to slide out onto his desk. Inside were a handful of photographs and a file labeled Margaret Duncan. Amanda picked up the photos and filled through them as Lee opened the file.

"Who is she? She's very pretty," Amanda commented on the woman in the black and white pictures. She appeared to be tall with very dark, curly hair. She was athletically built, even in the dress she was wearing. The most striking feature were her large eyes. One appeared to be very light where the other was very dark.

Lee was flipping through the pages in the file, trying to make some kind of sense of the handwritten notes in it. After a few minutes he finally answered Amanda's question. "Her name is Margaret Duncan… Maggie…. And I think she was Harry Thornton's first secretary."

Amanda didn't understand. "Why were these shoved under that drawer then?"

"Because I think…this used to be Harry's office at one point," Lee said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Lee, what do you mean you think…" Amanda was cut off when the phone began ringing.

Lee picked it up on the second ring, "Stetson. Hey, Billy. Yeah, Amanda's right here. We can be down there in a few minutes. Okay, on our way."

Hanging up the phone, Lee stood, taking Amanda's hand in his. "That was Billy. He needs us in his office ASAP."

Amanda followed him toward the door, "Did he say what for?"

As Lee opened the office door, he said, "Nope, just asked us to come down."

Locking the door behind them, they made their way down to the bullpen. Lee knocked on Billy's door and opened it when he heard the response, "Enter."

Amanda immediately sat down on the couch where Lee chose to stand. Billy walked over and locked the door behind them. Then he proceeded to close the blinds. Turning to Lee and Amanda he said, "What I am asking you both to do doesn't leave this office. It's off the books. Do you understand me?"

Lee looked at him, "What's going on, Billy? The last time you asked me to do something off the books I almost got killed."

"I received a phone call today from a friend. I need you to find someone. Top secret. No one, I mean, no one needs to know about this," Billy stated firmly. He knew he was being cryptic but they would soon understand why.

"Sir, who is it you need us to find?" Amanda asked, concerned.

"Her name is Lauren Proctor. She is 26 years old, born and raised in Virginia Beach with her mother and her stepfather," Billy told them.

"Why do we need to find her? What's so important about her?" Lee questioned his boss, knowing this was out of character for him.

"Because I just got off the phone with Harry V. Thornton and he asked us to," Billy informed them.

"Harry? What does Harry want with her?" Lee shook his head, confused.

Billy hated this part, "I can't tell you, not yet. Harry just asked specifically if you two would locate her for him. You don't need to bring her in, just find out where she is, what she's doing?"

"But Sir, why would Harry ask for us? I mean, it sounds like a simple research assignment for any new agent," Amanda asked. She wasn't trying to be disrespectful to Harry but this wasn't a matter of national security.

"Amanda, Harry said you both would be best to handle this with discretion. Said it would take a delicate touch. He thought you would be the perfect pair for the job." Billy smiled at her. He knew by appealing to her better assets as an agent, he could convince them to take this case for Harry.

"Well, thank you sir. I'm sure we could get this done in no time. Does he have a picture maybe of her so we have an idea of who we might be looking for?" Amanda relaxed.

"Billy, why us? There's more to this. With Harry involved there has to be," Lee was skeptical. Something wasn't sitting right with him.

Billy looked at Lee, knowing he wasn't going to back down until he had more information so he shook his head. "I'm telling you what I can, Scarecrow. Harry asked. Come on, Lee… this is Harry we are talking about here. Remember, the guy that started this place. Gave you a job."

"All right, all right, it's for Harry. I get it. But Amanda's right. Without a picture or some kind of description, it's going to be hard to track her down. Other than where she grew up, does he know anything else?" Lee conceded.

"If he knew, he wouldn't be asking for you two to find her, now would he. He said you can call him to set up a meeting. He'll go over what he does know, but from the sounds of things, it isn't much. I'll take you both off active duty for the next few days to give you time to find her. Full pay, no loss of vacation time," Billy knew he just upped their ante.

"Sir, that's awful generous of you. I don't want to take advantage…" Amanda started to say but Lee took her hand and practically pulled her out of the office.

"That's fine. I'll contact Harry now and set up a meeting. In the meantime, Amanda has to put our office back together. Thanks Billy. I'll… ah… I'll let you know when we find her," Lee rushed Amanda out the door.

"Lee, if you need something, don't forget to mind your manners." Billy reminded him of a secret code system they used in the past.

Once out of the bullpen, Amanda stopped and looked at Lee. "What was all that about?"

Smiling, Lee winked at her, "Billy just took us off active duty for a few days AND sent us to look for someone in Virginia Beach. Think about it. You… me…. Alone…. No distractions... "

Amanda began to walk toward the elevator talking quietly, "Lee, we're being sent there to work, not to … be alone."

Inside the elevator, Lee leaned in close to her. Gently kissing her neck, just behind her ear he whispered, "Doesn't mean we can't take advantage of some alone time."

Amanda tried hard not to respond but he knew he got to her. He could see the blush coming up her neck as he kissed her again, then blew gently on her wet skin. "Lee, stop, someone might see you," she tried rolling her head to stop him, thankful when the doors opened and Mrs. Marsten was sitting at her desk. Amanda practically ran up the stairs back to their office. By the time she got to the top, she remembered she didn't have her key and had to wait for Lee who took his time walking up the stairs and down the hall.

Unlocking the door, Lee walked in, shaking his head at the condition of the office. "Amanda, seriously, you really think you can get this all organized by this afternoon?"

"Well, that depends?" Amanda smiled at him, ready to get him back for his teasing in the elevator.

Lee looked at her, his eyes narrowing. He wasn't sure what she had on her mind. "On what?" he asked.

"Well, are you going to sit there and watch or if you help me we can get home faster," Amanda teased.

"Let me just sign off on the reports from yesterday while you start, then tell me what you need me to do," Lee answered quickly.

Sitting back down at his desk, he looked at the envelope and shirt they had found earlier. "Amanda, since we're going to be talking to Harry anyway, let's bring these with us. Maybe he can give us some insight on what they're about." Lee took the items and placed them on Amanda's chair beside her purse so they wouldn't forget them.

Picking up the phone, Lee called Harry and set up a meeting at a local bar for 7:00 that night. Looking around, he still had no idea how Amanda thought she was going to get everything organized but by 3:30 that afternoon they were putting away the last file.

Shaking his head, Lee looked around and said, "I've got to hand it to you, Amanda. I really didn't think you were going to be able to get it all done. Not to mention we can actually find things in there now. What made you decide on organizing each drawer like that? I mean, I never would have thought to group the files first, then alphabetize them. And to see how many duplicate files we had? No wonder we were missing reports."

"Well, it's just one of those things. I knew I kept finding files that matched something else so why not pull them all, group them, then refile. It will make things a lot easier moving forward, don't you think?" Amanda waved her hands for emphasis.

"I think even Francine will be able to find what she's looking for now," Lee laughed. Closing and locking the vault, he looked around one last time. "Let's grab that file and head out of here before she comes back up here. And you need to make arrangements for the boys for the next few days. Is a 3 hour drive one way, so maybe we should just stay there overnight and see what we come up with. If you stay at my place tonight, we can leave first thing in the morning." Lee just smiled at her, dimples deep, hoping she would say yes.

"Joe has the boys this weekend so let me see if Mother doesn't mind watching them tonight and tomorrow. I'll see if Joe can pick them up Thursday after school. I just remembered the boys have no school Friday so maybe they can spend the day with Carrie. They still need to have their tuxes fitted for the wedding." Amanda went through her mental checklist.

"Well, let's go talk to your mother first before we meet with Harry," Lee took her hand as they walked down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The drive to Arlington was quick despite the time of day. As they entered the house, Amanda called out, "Mother? Are you home?"

"In here, Amanda," they heard drifting from the family room. Amanda led the way, Lee just steps behind her.

Dotty was sitting on the couch, flipping through the new Rebecca's Fantasy catalog, sipping a cup of tea. Amanda just shook her head at her mother's reading material. Hoping Lee didn't see it, she sat beside her and slid another magazine over the catalog.

"Oh, hi Lee, I didn't hear you come in too," Dotty looked up and smiled. Seeing Amanda and Lee together made her happy. She had been worried about Amanda being alone for so long but since she had started openly dating Lee she could see the change in her daughter.

"Hi Dotty. Read any good articles lately?" Lee teased. He had seen the catalog before Amanda covered it, hoping Amanda would order something for him as well.

Dotty looked down to see Amanda had covered her catalog with People Magazine. Partially thankful for her daughter's quick thinking she replied, "No, nothing that interests me."

"Mother, Lee and I have to go to Virginia Beach for a few days for work. We just found out today. If Joe could pick the boys up tomorrow afternoon, would you be able to get them ready for school in the morning?" Amanda asked. She knew that probably wouldn't be an issue but she still had one more request and she wasn't sure how Dotty was going to respond.

"Tomorrow morning is fine. The boys will be fine. Have you talked to Joe yet? I know they are working on wedding plans this weekend with the boys too. Carrie wants to keep them involved. I think she said they were going to take them for the cake testing and food tasting. Let them help decide the menu. Good luck! We'll probably be eating pizza and hamburgers if they have their say," Dotty laughed.

Amanda laughed with her, then got serious for a minute. "No, I haven't talked to Joe just yet. I wanted to check with you first about the morning. Let me call him now," Amanda moved toward the phone.

Dialing Joe's work number, he answered on the second ring. "Hi, Joe, its me. Listen, I know this is last minute but Lee and I have to go on assignment for the next few days. We just found out today. I just remembered the boys don't have school Friday and I know you and Carrie had plans for them this weekend. Would it be possible for you to pick them up from school Thursday afternoon and keep them Friday too? Maybe Carrie could bring them for their tux fitting during the day?" she said in one breath. She listened for a minute to his response then replied, "Aw thanks Joe, that's great. They boys will be excited to spend the day with both of you. I'll let them know to have their bags packed for you to pick up at the house. Thanks again. I'll talk to you soon. Yes, I'll leave Lee's car phone number with Mother just in case. Bye bye."

Hanging up the phone she turned to Dotty and Lee, "Joe said it isn't a problem. He even has Friday off himself and is looking forward to spending the day with the boys."

"That's settled then. I'll make sure the boys are off in the morning and Joe has them until Sunday night. What time do you need to leave? I can get up earlier to help you," Dotty asked.

"Well, that's the other thing Mother," Amanda started. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Lee first then her Mother. "We'd like to get an early start so I think it would be easier for me to spend the night at Lee's apartment," she said nervously. She didn't know why she was so anxious about this. She was a grown woman for crying out loud.

"Amanda, I think that's a wonderful idea," Dotty smiled at her daughter. It's about time. "Why don't I go help you pack your bag."

Amanda was relieved but slightly confused. She thought her mother would give her a hard time about being gone another night considering they weren't technically going to be working. "Thank you, Mother. That's awful nice of you to help out another night. I know it's been a lot for you with the boys and well, Captain Curt."

Getting up, she gave Amanda a hug, "Amanda, darling, don't give it a second thought. Captain Curt can come have dinner tonight and since you and the boys will be gone all weekend we can have some of our own alone time. Alone," she punctuated her sentence with a nod of her head.

Lee watched their exchange and smiled. Amanda was very lucky she had a mother like Dotty. Clearing his throat he added, "Thank you Dotty. We can definitely get an early start in the morning without waking anyone else up."

Looking at Lee, Dotty smiled again. She could see the relief in his face as well as in Amanda's. "Let's get that bag packed before the boys get home. They ran over Tommy's house to play basketball for a bit. They should be home in less than an hour."

Amanda smiled at Lee and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes. You want a drink while you wait?"

"I can get it. You go get packed. If you don't mind, I'm just going to use the phone to check messages at work," Lee replied.

Amanda looked at him, narrowing her eyes, "Just messages, remember."

Lee raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, I know, I know. I just want to make sure Harry didn't change anything for our meeting tonight."

Amanda ran up the stairs, Dotty just steps behind. Pulling out her overnight bag, she quickly put together clothes for the next few days, mostly jeans and casual tops, adding two skirts and sweaters in case they went out for dinner. Amanda had noticed Dotty hadn't followed her into the bedroom initially. She went into her bathroom to gather her cosmetic bag and a few other essentials. Walking back into her room, she jumped seeing Dotty standing at the end of her bed. "Mother, you scared me," Amanda put her hand to her chest.

"Amanda, here, take these with you. You might…. Need them…." Dotty handed her a small brown bag.

Looking inside the bag, Amanda saw it contained a box of condoms. "Mother! What do you … what are you doing with these?" she asked slightly embarrassed.

Dotty looked at her daughter, "Amanda, you are a grown woman. You know what these are for and I hope for your sake, you and Lee have a reason to use them. I've said it before….On a scale of one to ten…"

Amanda shook her head, "I know, Mother, he's an eleven. But why… why do you even have those…"

"Amanda, please. Don't play coy with me. I've seen how you two look at each other. If it hasn't happened yet, well, maybe this time away, it will. I'm just saying…" Dotty gestured with her hands.

Laughing, Amanda put the bag with her toiletries. "Happy now?" she said.

Dotty nodded, "I will be when I see how happy you're going to be by Sunday night…" Dotty left the room smiling at Amanda's stunned face.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Picking up her bags, Amanda brought them to the bottom of the stairs. She managed to step out of the way just as Philip and Jamie threw the door open. "Hey Grandma, we're home!" Philip yelled.

"Philip, please be careful opening that door. You almost knocked me over," Amanda scolded her oldest son.

"Sorry Mom, I didn't see you there. Hey is Lee here? I thought I saw his car across the street." Philip asked.

"Hi boys," Lee called from the kitchen. "How was basketball?" He had been trying hard to connect with both boys the last few months and found starting conversations could be tough unless he appealed to both their interests.

Philip grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the counter. Taking a bite, he replied, "Good, I finally figured out my point shot. Junior didn't really shoot much." Philip gestured toward Jamie who was trying to get his camera out of the bag.

Looking at his older brother, Jamie made a face. "I shot plenty… it just wasn't basketballs. Hey Lee, do you think you can show me a trick on getting good action shots. I was trying to take pictures of them but I think I'm doing it wrong. I raised the shutter speed but I don't know about the apet… apech…" Jamie couldn't remember the terminology.

"Aperture?" Lee suggested.

"Yeah, aperture. I was reading that if I adjusted that the pictures could come out better but I think I did something wrong," Jamie shrugged his shoulders. Handing Lee the camera, he looked up at him, "Can you take a look?"

Lee took the camera from Jamie, smiling. It took a while but he thought he finally found a common ground with his stepson. Looking through the viewer, he focused on Amanda in the kitchen. "Hmmm, I don't know… it looks pretty good to me," Lee teased.

Rolling his eyes, Jamie took the camera back, "That's 'cause Mom's not moving, Lee."

Lee reached over and ruffled his hair, "I know, Chief, I'm just teasing. Your mom and I have to leave in a few minutes but when we get back this weekend how about you and I go down to the Potomac and see if we can get some shots of the speed boats. If you can catch those, you can catch your brother and his friends playing basketball."

Philip turned to look at him, "You and Mom are going somewhere? What about us? Please don't tell me we have to hang out with Grandma all weekend?"

"No, Philip, you are with your Dad and Carrie this weekend. Remember? Food tasting? Not to mention your dad has Friday off too so he said he was going to spend the whole day with you guys," Amanda reminded her son.

"And cake tasting, too…" Jamie sighed happily. "But are you and Lee going somewhere, for real?"

Now it was Lee's turn to answer. "Sorry guys, but your mother and I have to go to Virginia Beach for work. We should be home by Sunday. It was a last minute thing. We didn't even know about it until this morning."

"Are you guys leaving now?" Jamie asked. He sounded a little disappointed, a little sad.

Amanda walked over and gave him a small hug. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we are leaving soon. Is something wrong?" she asked her son. She was a little worried about him now. She put her hand on his head to feel for a temperature. "You're not feeling sick or anything are you?"

"No, Mom, I'm fine. I was just hoping Lee and I could figure out this photography thing. I got excited when I saw his car. I forgot we were going to Dad and Carrie's this weekend," Jamie admitted.

"At least we get to try food that's edible. Carrie can't cook like you, Mom," Philip interjected.

Amanda reprimanded her son, "Philip! That's not very nice. Maybe Carrie didn't have a wonderful mother at home to teach her like I did. Grandma spent a lot of time in the kitchen teaching me when I was about your age. Maybe it's time you two start learning too. After all, you don't need someone to wait on you hand and foot."

Lee laughed. He loved listening to his wife and his stepsons in a battle of the sexes. Deciding he could push the idea even further, "I could, ah, teach you boys how to cook a few things too. After all, I spent a lot of time in different countries when I was growing up and always managed to find a good chef that was willing to impart some knowledge on me."

"You can do that?" Philip's head turned to look at him.

"I can do what?" Lee was suddenly confused.

"You can teach us to cook. I mean really cook, not like that stuff they pretend to teach us in school," Philip was suddenly interested in this new turn of the conversation.

Now it was Amanda's turn to smile. It was times like these she appreciated more and more. Her husband and her boys finding common ground to talk and hopefully share with each other. "Lee is an excellent cook. Hey guys, I have an idea, why don't we plan family dinner night one night a week where you guys and Lee make dinner for Grandma and I. That way, you can both learn how to cook and Lee can tell you some of the things he knows," Amanda suggested, looking at Lee as she said it.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Lee answered, leaning forward to give her a light kiss on her cheek.

"OH Gross! Get a room!" Philip pretended to gag as he walked into the family room.

Jamie, much like his mom, wanted to confirm this idea. "So what night do you think we can do that? How about Tuesday? We don't have practice or anything on Tuesdays?"

Amanda and Lee looked at each other, surprised at Jamie's reaction. "Tuesday it is, Chief. But listen, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we need to get going. We have a few more things to do before we get ready for our assignment," Lee said.

"Oh, boys, listen carefully. I need you to get your bags packed tonight. That way they will be ready for your dad to get them tomorrow before he picks you up from school," Amanda told them.

"We will, Mom. I'll even make sure he packs his toothbrush this time," Jamie nodded his head in the direction of his brother.

"Shut up, Wormbrain. I always pack my toothbrush. I just sometimes forget to use it," Philip admitted.

"Please don't call your brother Wormbrain, and please, Philip, brush your teeth!" Amanda shook her head. "Mother, I'm going to leave Lee's car phone number here beside the phone in case of an emergency. Are you sure you're okay with this?" Amanda asked.

"Have a wonderful time, darling, Lee. And remember, Amanda, stay safe!" Dotty practically sang as she pushed them toward the front door.

"Thank you, Mother." Amanda gave her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Lee called out to Jamie and Philip, "Hey boys, come give your mother a hug before she goes. She's not going to see you for a few days. You know she's going to miss you."

The boys came running to the front door. They each gave Amanda a hug and a kiss on her cheek. Jamie even went over and hugged Lee goodbye too, much to their amazement. "Thanks, Chief, we'll see you on Sunday. Have fun with your dad," Lee was slightly choked up. He looked over at Amanda and caught her wiping a tear from her eye.

"Have a good time boys! Be good for your dad and Carrie. Philip, remember to brush your teeth," Amanda reminded them one more time.

Lee picked up Amanda's bag and headed out to the car. Once they were in the car on the way to his apartment, he looked at Amanda and said, "I think we're making progress."

Amanda wiped another tear that had started to run down her cheek.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lee and Amanda drove to Lee's apartment. They brought Amanda's bag inside with them so she could easily change in the morning. She did have some clothes at Lee's apartment already for the times there were able to be there overnight but it wasn't much. Setting the bag down in Lee's bedroom, Lee grabbed his own overnight bag and started to pack his things. Amanda sat on the edge of the bed and watched him walk back and forth, dropping items into the bag, then back to his closet or bureau once again.

He walked into the bathroom to get his shaving kit and toothbrush. Tossing them onto the top of his bag, Lee surveyed the room to decide if there was anything else he may need to bring. His eyes settled on the nightstand beside the bed. He glanced at Amanda then strolled over and opened the top drawer. Inside was the box of condom he always kept there. Early in their relationship, Amanda had explained she couldn't take birth control pills so they faithfully relied on condoms and Amanda's tracking of her natural body cycle. Picking up the box, he shook his head when he remembered it was empty.

"Amanda, I forgot to pick up more of these, you didn't remember by any chance, did you?" Lee asked as he tossed the empty box in the trash.

Laughing, Amanda replied, "I didn't, but Mother did."

Lee stopped and looked at her. "Say that again."

"I didn't buy any but my mother did," Amanda was still laughing.

"Your mother? Does she know…" Lee was slightly confused

Getting her laughter under control, Amanda shook her head, "I don't think so but she sees this weekend as a chance for us to … you know."

Now it was Lee's turn to laugh, "Your mother isn't sure if we've been together, yet she buys condoms for you."

Amanda stood up and walked over to Lee, putting her arms around his neck. "She just wants her daughter to be safe," Amanda said before kissing his lips.

"I'll keep her daughter safe all right," Lee practically growled as he deepened the kiss, pulling Amanda onto the bed with him as he did.

Amanda threw her head back, laughing again. "Lee, as much as I love this, right now is not the time. We have to leave soon to meet Harry."

Lee had been covering her throat with light kisses, stopping as she reminded him about their meeting. "You're right, now is not the time. But later… Mrs. Stetson… be prepared. Now that I have permission from your mother, you are in trouble."

"I didn't know I needed permission to get into trouble," Amanda laughed again. She loved this time they had. They were free to behave like two adults in love, not hesitating, not hiding.

Lee let her go, but not before giving her one more toe curling kiss that even he had to tamp down his own desire. Standing, he offered her a hand. "Let's go meet Harry."

It was just before seven when they reached the bar. It was a small establishment just outside a bustling office park, usually frequented by the corporate employees trying to find an escape from their cubical farms and fluorescent lit offices. On this Wednesday evening, it was already filled with mostly unhappy looking middle age men and women, with a smattering of older men. Looking around, Lee understood why Harry chose this place. They fit right in, no one would look twice at them.

Scanning the room, they didn't see Harry so they chose a small table away from the bar and the speakers from the jukebox. The room was loud enough with chatter but this spot offered them a small bit of privacy. They each ordered a drink, Amanda, a glass of white wine, Lee, scotch on the rocks. Once their drinks were delivered, Amanda took a sip and asked Lee, "So why do you think Harry wants us to find this woman?"

Lee shook his head, "I don't know. But this is Harry. You never know the real story until Harry wants you to know." At that moment, Lee spotted Harry coming into the bar. "Look, there he is." Standing, Lee made eye contact with the older man.

Harry wove his way between patrons, stopping when he got to them. Lee offered his hand but was pulled into a hug instead. "Lee, I can't tell you how glad I am you're doing this for me."

Amanda stood to hug Harry, "Harry, it's nice to see you again."

"Amanda, you look lovely as ever. The Agency treating you right? Not keeping you away from your family too much?" Harry was always concerned when it came to her and her family. He liked Amanda, especially because he could see how she changed Scarecrow over the last few years for the good. Looking between the two, he sensed something was different about them. Before he could ask, Amanda answered his question.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm good. Now that the boys are a little older, being away is easier. Not that they don't still need me but they need me in a different way," she smiled at him.

"And you two…. Something's different. I can feel it. Make an old man happy. Tell me what's going on," Harry sat at the table with them, holding Amanda's hand as he did.

Lee smiled. He'd known Harry a long time and knew he would pick up a lie in a heartbeat. Taking Amanda's other hand, he simply answered, "Amanda and I have been seeing more of each other. Outside of work."

Harry looked between the two again, "Uh huh. So when are you going to get off your backsides and get married?"

Blushing, Amanda looked down at her drink. Letting go of both their hands, she lifted it, took another sip and said, "Harry… why don't you tell us about Lauren Proctor. Why do you need us to find her?"

The waitress stopped at their table, asked if Harry wished to order anything. "A white Russian, please. Light on the ice." Nodding, she walked away. "Christina has me hooked," Harry laughed. Just a few minutes later the waitress brought his drink. Sipping it, he commented, "Hmmmm, needs more vodka." Putting the drink down on the table, Harry surveyed the room.

Lee looked at his mentor. He knew he was stalling but he had no idea why. Deciding Harry had enough time to think, he asked again, "Who is she, Harry?"

Taking another sip of his drink and a deep breath, Harry looked at Lee, then Amanda. "Lauren Proctor is my daughter."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lee looked at him stunned, "Harry, did you just say…"

Amanda finished his question, "your daughter?"

Harry nodded at both of them. He knew the rest of this conversation was going to be difficult so he took another, longer pull on his drink. Setting the glass back down, he repeated, "Yes, Lauren Proctor is my daughter. I haven't said those words aloud in years. Lee, Amanda, you are now part of an elite group of individuals that know the truth. Lauren's mother, Peggy, myself, Billy and now you two. No one and I mean no one knows about our connection. Not even Lauren." Harry face was strained, his mouth pulled tight.

Lee knew this was hard for his old friend and mentor. It was obvious Harry had gone to great lengths to hide Lauren's existence all these years. "But why bring this out now? What's going on, Harry?" Lee asked.

"Because I haven't heard from her in months. Peggy, her mother, passed away about a year ago. I had contacted Lauren to check in on her. She knows me, as her mom's old friend Harry. She used to call me Uncle Harry when she was little but as she grew up and the times I got to see her were less frequent, she dropped the Uncle bit. Since the time she was 12 until now I've only seen her in pictures. I didn't dare make the trip to Virginia Beach to see her any more. I was afraid she would ask too many questions and one day I wouldn't be able to give her an answer to suit her," Harry stopped to take another sip of his drink. "So I talked to Lauren just after her mom passed, told her if she needed anything to let me know. I gave her space, time to grieve. Then about 5 months ago I tried calling. No answer. I called everyday for a week, same thing. Then one day, the number said it was disconnected. I haven't heard from her at all."

Amanda reached over and rubbed his arm to comfort him. She could see by the pain in his eyes how much this was hurting him. "Harry, what can we do to help?"

Placing his hand over Amanda's he looked at her. "Find her, please. Just tell me she's ok. Obviously she doesn't want to talk to me but I need to know she is ok," Harry said, his voice strained.

"I'm sorry, Harry. This was not what I was expecting. We'll find her. I promise you that, old friend. We'll find her," Lee clapped Harry's shoulder.

"That's why I asked Billy for your help. I know you will. You two are the best in the business. Together, you make one hell of a team," Harry smiled at them.

Amanda blushed, looking down at the table, "Thank you, Harry, that means alot coming from you."

Lee looked at his wife and saw her reaction to Harry's compliment. He knew she still doubted her abilities as an agent sometimes and knowing Harry could see how good she really was made his heart swell with pride. "Amanda, Harry's right. You're one hell of an agent. You have some of the best instincts I've ever seen. And Harry, with Amanda there, I know we will find her. I've never seen Amanda give up on anything yet," Lee laughed.

Harry laughed with him and said, "She hasn't given up on you yet, so that's saying something."

Lee pretended to be offended, "Hey…." which sent Amanda into laughter as well. After a few minutes, they all stopped, sipping their drinks before continuing. "Harry, do you have a picture of Lauren, anything recent?" Lee asked.

Pulling out a small wallet sized photograph, Harry handed it to Amanda. "That's the last one I have of her. She was a senior in high school so it's a little old but you should be able to find her. She has a distinctive trait, inherited from her mother…." Harry began.

Amanda took one look at the photo and her eyes widened immediately, "Lee, look. Her eyes…"

Lee took the photo and saw it. The beautiful young girl in the photo had one dark brown eye and one very light blue eye. Looking at Harry he asked, "Her mother, Peggy. That wouldn't be Margaret Duncan, would it?"

Harry looked at Lee, stunned. "Yes, how did you know?"

Lee looked at Amanda and then back to Harry, "I think you need to come to my apartment to see this. Not here."

Lee paid for their drinks and quickly jotted down his address for Harry. Knowing they could possibly be followed because you could never be too careful, he told him to park in the lot about a block away and walk through the alley to the back entrance to his building. They would wait for him there. Parting ways inside the bar, Lee and Amanda left first. Harry waited about 20 minutes before he left and purposely went the opposite direction, weaving through neighborhoods just to be sure he didn't have a tail.

Harry may not have been an agent anymore but it didn't make him any less valuable. He knew many secrets and had more enemies both foreign and friendly. He was constantly aware of his surroundings, and never did anything the same to confuse anyone that may be watching him.

Arriving at the parking lot Lee told him, Harry hugged close to the buildings, hiding in the shadows as best he could. Stopping once or twice to look back, Harry made it to Lee's building, confident he was alone. Inside the trio made their way to Lee's apartment with no incident.

Harry sat on the couch waiting to see what was so important they had to bring him there. Amanda sat on the chair beside the couch, watching Lee pace nervously. He had been on edge the whole ride back to the apartment, trying to decide what to tell Harry. Finally she couldn't take Lee's pacing anymore and said, "Sweetheart, you sit down. I'll get it."

Lee sat beside Harry on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. Harry noticed this and knew something was bothering Lee. Amanda walked into the bedroom and retrieved the file and shirt they had found earlier. She put them both on the table between the men. "Harry, we found these today, hidden in the vault."

Harry picked up the shirt first, fingering the buttons for a moment. He put it back down and opened the envelope, letting the contents slide out, just like Lee had done earlier. His breath caught in his throat as soon as he saw the pictures of Peggy. Picking up one of them, he ran his finger across the image. "She's was so beautiful," was all he said.

Lee looked at Amanda, understanding how Harry felt. His Amanda was beautiful especially when she wasn't even aware of how she affected him. Sometimes it only took a look, a laugh, a touch and his breath would catch, just like Harry's did. Looking at Harry, Lee commented, "You loved her didn't you, Harry."

Harry smiled, looking at the picture in his hand. "Maybe, a different place, a different time, I could have shown her how much but back then, I don't know. Loved her, yes…. In love with her, well that's another thing. She was my first civilian contact, a mistake really. I was just starting the Agency, bumped into her in the grocery store thinking she was my contact. Turns out, she wasn't. I passed off information to her and had to find her later to get it back. Nothing of too much importance now." Harry laughed lightly at the memory. "She ended up coming to work for me for a while, as a secretary, until she got…. Well, you can figure out the rest I guess."

He placed the picture down on the table beside the envelope. Picking up the file, he flipped through the first few pages then stopped. "Amanda, where did you find this?"

Amanda, wide eyed, looked at Lee who just nodded. Looking at Harry she said, "It was under a drawer filled with empty files. Along with that shirt."

Lee looked at Harry with concern, "Harry, what's going on?"

Harry looked at Lee, "I've never seen this before. Someone had Peggy under surveillance but I don't know anything about this. These pictures? They were taken while she still worked at the Agency but I've never seen them. And these letters in here…. This was correspondence between her and I… private notes…. Before she got pregnant."

Amanda picked up the shirt, looking it over, "What about this? Why would this shirt be there too?"

"I don't know. She used to wear a blouse similar to it to work at least once a week but that's about all I remember," Harry shook his head.

Lee picked up the file and flipped through it again quickly, "So you don't know anything about this?"

Harry just looked at him and said firmly, "No."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Amanda looked at Lee then Harry again. "Well, I guess that's another mystery to solve. Harry, is there anything else you can tell us about Lauren, where she works, friends maybe?"

Harry put the file and pictures back in the envelope. Tossing it back on the coffee table, he shook his head. "Not much I'm afraid. She has an associates degree in Accounting and I know she was working in a small firm in Virginia Beach. I don't know which one. Peggy never mentioned the name of it. Friends… no, I don't know. The last few years, even contact with Peggy was sporadic. Her husband, Lauren's stepfather, died about 3 years ago. He never knew who I was either. He adopted Lauren when she was 5, shortly after he and Peggy got married. My name was never on Lauren's birth certificate so there was never a legal issue."

Lee looked at Harry, hearing the sadness in his voice. "Harry, I know this is hard but what else can you tell us, an address maybe?"

Harry shook his head. "I can give you Peggy's address. That's the last one I have for Lauren. I don't know if she's still there, sold the house, I don't know. Lee, I know it's not a lot to go on but I need to find her. I just need to know she ok. I didn't get to be there for her when she took her first steps or spoke or first words but it doesn't mean I didn't love her. I took care of her the safest way I knew how back then. What I wouldn't give to change that now. Not being able to talk to her, hear her voice…. The fear something has happened to her is killing me," Harry put his head into his hands.

"Harry, we'll find her. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't talk to my boys or if they were missing," Amanda said sympathetically as she rubbed his back to comfort him.

He lifted his head and looked at Amanda. "Thank you. I don't want you to think I didn't take care of her either. I paid for everything for her, discretely of course. Even after Steve adopted her, I still made sure she had everything she needed. He never knew. I had an account set up for her the day she was born, in Peggy's name. We called it her retirement account. That way it never raised any red flags. Cash deposits were made so they could never be traced back to me."

Lee nodded, "That's good information, Harry. Does that account still exist?"

"Yes, I still make a monthly deposit for her. I don't know if the account has been turned over to Lauren now that Peggy's gone. But it's still open. It hasn't been touched in over 3 years, but I still make that deposit," Harry explained.

"How much do you deposit?" Amanda asked.

Harry smiled, "One thousand dollars a month, a little more during holidays and an extra thousand on her birthday. The last balance showed there is over $50,000 still in the account."

Amanda shook her head in amazement. "Harry, that's very generous of you. Joe was only required to pay me $125 a week for both boys."

Lee looked at Amanda, shaking his head. They had never really discussed her child support agreement and he didn't know how much Joe paid her each week but hearing this, he understood why she was so good at her budget. She had to be, the amount he was paying her was barely enough to cover the grocery bill.

Harry stood up, looking at the two of them. "Amanda, Lee, I better be going. I appreciate you both, doing this for me. If you find her, when you find her, will you let me know. I'm not going anywhere for a while, Christina is enjoying this weather and her gardening."

Amanda stood and gave Harry a hug, "We will, as soon as we find her."

"I'll walk you down, Harry," Lee said as he walked Harry to the door.

Amanda looked at Lee, "Do you want me to heat up some of that leftover lasagna?"

"Yeah, I just realized we didn't eat yet. I shouldn't be gone long," he replied.

Harry smiled at the two of them. He could see how much Lee had changed and hoped he and Amanda could find the happiness they both deserved. Amanda closed the door behind them and walked into the kitchen to heat up dinner for the two of them.

Harry and Lee walked quietly down the back stairs. As they stood at the door, Harry turned to Lee, "Scarecrow, you and Amanda… you really care for her, don't you?"

Lee just smiled, knowing he couldn't lie to Harry, "Yeah, Harry, yeah. I do."

"Well then, take a piece of advice from an old man. Don't let anyone, and I mean anyone, get between you. Not anyone at the Agency, her family, your family… no one. Not even me," Harry slapped Lee on the shoulder. "If you care for her, like I think you do… keep her."

Lee shook his head, "It's just not that easy, Harry. She's got her boys… her mother... Then there's the Agency…. It's just not that simple."

Harry was adamant, "Lee, the Agency… well I won't give you my opinion on that, but her family…. If they are anything at all like her, they will welcome you with open arms. Yeah, its not going to be easy at first, but they'll see what she sees in you. Just trust me."

"I do, Harry, I trust you with my life," Lee smiled at him. "Now, go, before Amanda starts to worry about me. I'll call you when we get to Virginia Beach tomorrow and let you know where we're staying."

Harry started to walk toward the back alley but turned around one last time. "Remember what I said, hang onto to her with everything you've got because you never know when you're going to find that again."

"I will, Harry, believe me." Lee watched his old mentor sneak back through the shadows until he couldn't see him any more. Closing the door, he practically ran back up to the apartment. Walking inside, he called, "Amanda?"

"I'm here, food's almost ready. Harry okay?" she asked as she walked to the table carrying their plates.

Lee smiled at her, thinking about what Harry had just said to him. "I think so. I think he'll be better once we find her though."

They sat at the table and began to eat in silence. When they were almost finished, Amanda looked at Lee sadly, commenting, "I don't know how he did it all those years. I could never…" She stopped, thinking how difficult it was to leave her boys for a few days at a time, never mind most of their lives.

Seeing the sadness on her face, Lee said, "Amanda, I was thinking. We are going to be alone all weekend. No one we know will be within a 200 mile radius. I'd like us to wear our rings, you know, be Mr. and Mrs. Stetson all weekend."

Smiling, Amanda nodded, "I would love to be Mrs. Stetson this weekend."

Without a reply, Lee got up from the table and quickly went to the bedroom where their rings were hidden in the top drawer of his bureau. Retrieving the box, he brought them out to the table, presenting it to Amanda. Smiling, she lifted his ring from the box and slid it on his finger, squeezing his hand once it was in its proper place.

Lee took both her rings and slid them on her finger, bringing her hand to his lips. He kissed her fingers gently before pulling her close. "I love you, Mrs. Stetson. And I know I don't say that nearly enough," Lee said.

"And I love you, Mr. Stetson. We don't get to be this nearly enough," Amanda said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Now if we can get these dishes cleaned up, we can get to bed. We have an early day ahead of us tomorrow."

Lee looked at her, smiling his dimpled smile. "Is that the only reason you want to get to bed early?" he teased.

Amanda slid her hands down his back to his backside. Pulling his hips close, she replied, "Nope."

Lee shook his head, "So you have other plans I take it?"

"Table cleared, dishes washed, a shower for the two of us and then I'll let you use your imagination," she replied between light kisses.

Lee growled as he pulled her even tighter to his body. "Forget about the dishes," he said as he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - 

Setting Amanda down, Lee pulled her close and kissed her again. Harry's words reverberated in his mind, "Hang on to her…." Lee wanted to show Amanda just how much he loved her. Words didn't always convey meaning the way he wanted so tonight he was going to be sure she felt it.

He began by kissing her lips, softly, gently. There was no rush in his movements, no reason to hurry, no distractions. He trailed kisses down her chin toward her ear, stopping long enough to nibble just a bit to the area where her neck met her shoulder. Amanda sighed, leaning her head to the side to give him better access to one of her most sensitive spots. He knew it too. Taking advantage of this, he kissed then gently blew on her skin, causing goose bumps immediately. His nimble fingers began unbuttoning her blouse, exploring newly exposed skin each time. Once her blouse had been removed, he slipped her out of her skirt, leaving her in the simple cotton bra and panties she had on.

Amanda was overwhelmed by his simple touch, the gentleness he showed as well as the restraint he had. Normally, they were rushed for time or it had been too long since the last time they made love that their movements were more frantic, needy almost. But tonight, something was different. She couldn't quite grasp the full meaning of it. Not yet.

Once her blouse and skirt were removed, Lee stepped back. His eyes swept her body from head to toe, never lingering on any one spot for too long. Slowly, he began to unbutton his own shirt, as Amanda watched. She wanted to reach out and touch him, run her fingers across his smooth chest but she held back. Something in his face, his eyes, told her to wait. His pants followed his shirt, being kicked to the side with the rest of her clothes.

Stepping forward again, he reached out to touch her cheek. He ran his knuckles down her neck, his fingertips across the scar she had from their honeymoon. Amanda gasped when he touched it at first then slowly let it out as he continued to gently rub his fingertips across the side of her breast and down her ribs to her waist. Leaving his hand there, he repeated the same motion with his other hand. Once both hands were on her waist, he brought them around to her back to pull her closer, leaning down to capture her lips again.

Amanda brought her hands up his smooth chest, around his neck to play with his soft, fine hair. He watched her hands as they moved, dropping his head forward to her shoulder when he felt her fingers in his hair. He lifted his head to look at her, watching as she swallowed slowly. Her eyes were dark, intense yet her face was soft and relaxed. He loved this complexity of his Amanda. Running his hands up her back, they stopped only for a moment as he expertly unclasped her bra. Bringing his hands around her shoulders, he removed the simple cotton undergarment, letting it fall to the floor.

Pulling her tightly to his chest, he hugged her gently, inhaling her scent that was so Amanda. He could recognize her smell anywhere. They held each other for a minute, chest to chest, his chin on her head, no words necessary. Amanda was the first to move, her hands feeling their way down his back to the waistband of his boxers. She toyed with it for a moment, creeping her fingers inside the elastic as she moved her hands along his waistline. Reaching the iliac crest of his pelvis, she pushed the material down over his hips and butt until it fell to the floor on its own. Lee stepped out of his boxers, giving them a flick with his foot.

Amanda could feel his shaft, hard and hot against her body. Lee was not moving with any urgency, so his physical needs were not overwhelming him just yet. She felt him lift her legs to lay on the bed as he stretched out beside her. Again he ran his fingers down her body gently, this time from her collarbone, circling her breast, down her stomach and across her hip. Using the same hand, he repeated the path on the other side, only now she arched into his hand, her skin on fire from his touch alone. His lips soon followed that path, gently, slowly, open mouthed kisses, leaving her skin wet, her body shivering with anticipation.

Up to this point, neither one had uttered a single word. Lee couldn't help think this was the longest Amanda had ever gone without talking. Smiling against her stomach, he drew a line with his tongue from her navel to the top of the cotton briefs she still wore. Amanda inhaled, her breath shaky. It was a fine line between tickling and exquisite torture. Deciding she prefered the type of torture only Lee could give her, she lifted her hips, indicating she wanted him to remove her briefs.

Lee took her cue and slowly manipulated the cotton fabric down her legs, grazing her skin with his fingers as he carefully removed the last piece of clothing on her body. Sitting up, he removed his socks, his eyes never leaving hers. Amanda laid there, her skin pale against the darkness of the sheets below her, her eyes bright with desire. She reached for him, wanting to pull him down into her embrace. Instead, he took her hand and brought it to his mouth, sucking on each finger before releasing it for another.

Amanda shivered, not out of cold, but pure desire. He let go of her hand and she dragged her nails lightly down his chest, his own body shivering at her touch. Her hand made its own path down his stomach and wrapped around his shaft. She could feel him pulsing in her hand, his heat warming her palm. Unhurriedly, she stroked him, hearing him inhale sharply, his breath ragged but slow. Reaching for her, Lee's hand inched up her leg.

Amanda lifted her hips again in quiet urging for him to touch her. She was on edge now, her body tuned to Lee's like the strings of a violin needed the bow to make them sing. Lee smiled at her again, and leaning down beside her, his hand finding its way back up her body to her face. Cupping her chin, he kissed her again, slowly, running his tongue slowly across her lips before swirling around her own. He had yet to touch her where she was now craving his attention most. She could feel her body flush with desire, now almost desperate for their union, his hardness, her softness together.

Without saying a word still, Lee covered the length of her body with his. He balanced himself on his elbow, gently touching her face with his other hand. Stroking her cheek, he kissed her again, slowly, enjoying every second. He tasted her with his tongue, rolling it in circles around hers. When he withdrew, her tongue followed where he suckled it until she retreated. His body was on edge, tense, reacting to her every touch.

Amanda ran her hands up his back, her fingers brushing his spine. She arched toward him, wanting him to fill her as only he could. Lee knew he couldn't tease her much longer. Glancing toward her overnight bag, he tried to think where the condoms her mother gave her might be. Amanda knowing what was going through his mind, finally spoke one word. She had already mentally calculated her cycle because she wanted no barriers between them. She whispered in his ear, "Safe."

Lee registered her meaning immediately and without a second thought, drove himself into her, to the hilt. Amanda cried out in sheer pleasure, then wrapped one leg around his hip. Lee didn't move, he just stayed there, his breathing completely rough, struggling to keep his full emotions in check. Amanda brought one hand down and grasped his butt, urging him to move. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled back. Amanda arched her back again, then tilting her hips forward, inviting him deeper.

Lee set a maddeningly slow pace, kissing her neck the whole time. Amanda could feel every vein, ripple of flesh, and muscle tightening in his body as he fought to keep this pace. The energy in her body could have lit up a city block yet she was craving more. She buried her hands in his hair, trying to counter every slow thrust with a quicker one of her own. She wanted, no needed, to feel more of him, harder, faster. She began begging him, "Lee… please... "

Lee could hear her, could feel the heat from her body getting hotter. He didn't know how much longer he was going to last but he needed to know she knew how much he loved her. He picked up his pace, just a little, his strokes shorter, harder than before but not by much. "Amanda… I love you… so much" he panted into her neck.

Her cries became louder in his ears, she was clinging to him now, her hands holding him tightly. He knew she was close, as was he. He pushed up on his arms so he could see her face. Amanda was reaching for him as her first wave of pleasure began to hit. She held his arms, curling her body tighter to his. He could feel her pulling him deeper inside, tighter than he thought possible. Dropping back down to his elbows, his strokes became fast and erratic as he lost his last shred of control, throwing his head back as he exploded into her. As he collapsed on her, he kept repeating, "I love you. I love you. I love you," until his voice failed him and the tears he didn't realize he was holding back began to fall.

Amanda held him tightly, her own tears sliding down her face. What they had just shared wasn't just physical. Their souls had found each other across space and time. They both knew at that moment, they were always meant to be together.

When their breathing finally settled, Lee moved off Amanda onto his back where he pulled her close. He had wanted to be sure every fiber of her being knew how much he loved her. And she did…. Hours later, she awoke in his arms. Amanda just smiled at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful when he slept, vulnerable. His tough guy exterior was only a small fraction of who he really was inside. She was beyond happy that he loved her enough to show her inside his heart.

Slipping out of the bed without disturbing him too much Amanda first checked the alarm clock to be sure it was set for 5:00 am. Then, she remembered the dishes still on the table. Quietly she left the bedroom, closing the door most of the way to not wake Lee, she cleared the table. Bringing the dishes to the kitchen she quickly washed, dried and put them away. After setting the coffee maker for the morning, she wiped the damp counter off, hung the dish towel and headed back to bed.

As she approached the room, she heard him calling her. "Amanda," he said sleepily. She crawled back into bed beside him, slipping into his embrace. "You left…" he murmured.

"Only to do the dishes, Sweetheart. Shh, go back to sleep," she said as she kissed him lightly on his forehead.

"Amanda?" Lee's voice was barely a whisper.

"Shhhh," she tried to quiet him again.

"Please don't leave me," Lee whispered again, his voice thick with emotion.

Amanda reached up and touched his face gently, "Never. Now get some sleep, Mr. Stetson."

Lee pulled her tighter to his chest and smiled as he fell asleep again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lee woke to the alarm blaring in his ear. Reaching over to slap it off, he smiled, realizing Amanda was still curled up beside him. He shook her gently, "Hey, sleepy head, time to get up. We need to try to get out of here in the next hour if we are going to avoid the traffic."

Amanda groaned. She was completely comfortable curled up against her husband's warm body. She had absolutely no desire to move just yet. She just wanted to stay in his arms a little longer. Lee must have known what she was thinking because he shook her again, "Hey, we have the rest of the week and the weekend to wake up like this. We need to get a move on."

Smiling, Amanda opened her eyes just as Lee was trying to extricate himself from both her and the blankets but lost his balance where he managed to pull everything off the bed, catching her before she hit the floor with him. Laughing she looked at him and said, "Really, Sweetheart, there are easier ways to get your wife out of bed."

Lee just laughed along with her. Amanda finally got herself separated from the blankets and upon standing, held out her hand to help Lee up. He stood, then pulled her close, kissing her soundly on the lips. "Good morning, Mrs. Stetson," he said with a smile.

"Well good morning to you, Mr. Stetson," she replied. Amanda couldn't help but think every morning should be like this. "Coffee is ready to go, someone needs to go push the button."

Lee looked at her, "Why don't you get in the shower and I'll push the button. I have to shave too so I'll do that while your showering then jump in after. I have a few more things that need to be packed too."

Amanda shook her head, "Sounds like a plan then." She walked into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind her. Lee heard the water turn on and headed into the kitchen to turn the coffee machine on. Heading beck toward the bedroom, Lee scanned the room to be sure everything had been packed. He still needed to pack his shaving kit so he headed toward the bathroom to use his time wisely. By the time he finished shaving, Amanda was finished with her shower. She kissed him on the cheek as she headed for the bedroom to get dressed.

Lee stepped into the steaming hot shower. As he stood in the running water, his mind started analyzing the information Harry had given them. Methodically he went through the facts as they knew them, coming up with more questions. Finishing his shower, he stepped out, wrapping a towel around his hips. He opened his medicine cabinet to retrieve his aftershave when his eyes fell upon a contact case long forgotten. An idea came to him. Calling to Amanda he said, "Amanda, I need to stop by the Agency on our way. We should be able to get in and out of Requisitions without anyone even knowing we are there."

Amanda, now fully dressed, stood in the open doorway. "What could we possibly need from Requisitions?" she asked.

Smiling, Lee said, "Remember Francine's Magda Petra?"

Amanda's eyes narrowed, "Yes, her dark wig and brown contact…."

Lee finished her sentence, "lenses. I think we need a pair of blue ones. No one is going to question a family member looking for their cousin." Lee smiled, his dimples deep.

Amanda smiled back. Lee was right. They had not discussed how their cover story for looking for Lauren but with the use of a simple blue contact lens, Amanda could easily pass for a relative. "I like the way you think, Scarecrow."

"Then let's get moving. I just need to put my kit in my bag. There should be a few travel mugs in the cabinet," Lee said he picked up his shaving kit and headed into the bedroom, dropping it on his bag.

Amanda went into the kitchen, pouring coffee for both of them. "Can we stop at that pastry shop around the corner too? We can get a few things for the ride and something for breakfast. They may still have some stale donuts just for you," she teased.

Carrying their bags to the living room, Lee just laughed. "Well I'm glad you didn't decide to make a full course meal this morning."

Amanda just shook her head at him. Not long ago they had gotten into a fight over just that, which had lead to a larger argument they would rather not repeat. "As much as I don't like it, I know how you feel about breakfast. So, no more big breakfasts for you, but maybe you could eat something small, just for me?" she asked.

Lee took her hand and brought it to his lips, "For you, yes, something small. It's going to be a long ride and the fewer stops we have to make, the better."

Surveying the room one last time, Lee announced it was time to go. Amanda carried their coffees and her purse, Lee got their bags. Laughing he commented, "I think this is the lightest packing you've ever done, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda laughed then teased, "That's because I didn't pack any nightgowns."

Lee tilted his head, an eyebrow raised. "Really?" he asked suggestively.

Amanda opened the front door and gently pushed him out, "Hold that thought for later."

They made their way down to the car and to the Agency without incident. They decided divide and conquer would help with time management so after parking the 'Vette out front, Amanda walked the short distance to the pastry shop as Lee went to Requisitions to secure a pair of blue contact lenses. Luckily enough, the agent at the desk was relatively new and didn't question Scarecrow what case he was on. Lee and Amanda met back at the car at almost the same time. She was carrying two cake sized boxes.

"Amanda, what did you buy? The whole shop?" he teased as they climbed into the car.

"Well, they had some freshly made lemon poppyseed muffins so I got you a few of those for the ride as well as a blueberry one for me. Then I also got a few pastries for later in case we get stuff in traffic," Amanda explained.

Lee just shook his head as they pulled away from the curb, heading toward Interstate 95 South.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The ride to Virginia Beach was long but uneventful. It took Lee and Amanda almost 4.5 hours to get there due to unexpected road construction detours. Their first order of business was to find a hotel. They had not called ahead to make arrangements but knowing Virginia Beach was an active tourist spot they figured they would have no problem finding a place to stay. Driving down Atlantic Avenue, they saw the newly built Barclay Towers Resort Hotel. Pulling into a parking spot, they made their way to the registration desk. A short time later, they were heading up to their room on the 6th floor overlooking the beach, thankful the clerk gave them an early check in.

Amanda dropped her bag onto the bed. She made her way to the door to their balcony, she stepped outside, breathing in the salt air. Lee followed her out, slipping his hand around her waist, dropping his chin to her shoulder. "What a beautiful view," Amanda commented, leaning into him.

Spinning her around to face him, Lee kissed her gently and said, "Not as beautiful as you."

Amanda blushed, still hesitant every time he complimented her. She looked up at this face, "Thank you." Hugging him close, she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. They stayed that way for a few minutes, just holding each other, not wanting to move.

Finally, Lee broke their silence, "We should probably check in Harry, let him know where we are staying. Then we should see if we can find that address he gave us."

"What about Billy?" Amanda asked.

"I think we can leave him out of this for now. We are supposed to be off the grid, as far as the Agency is concerned so unless we need something from him, I'd rather not contact him. Don't want to raise any flags," Lee said.

Amanda nodded in agreement, "So you call Harry, I'm going to freshen up." Amanda collected her cosmetic bag and toiletries and headed into the bathroom.

Lee picked up the phone, dialing Harry's number. "Harry, Lee. Amanda and I have checked into the Barclay Towers, room 605. We're going to head out now, see if we can find that address you gave us."

On the other end of the line, Harry replied, "Thanks Lee. I owe you and Amanda for this one."

Lee smiled, "No way, Harry. I owe you, more than you could ever know. If we find out anything, we'll let you know."

Amanda walked out of the bathroom just as Lee hung up the phone. "Why don't we find a street map, maybe down in the gift shop."

"Great idea," Lee said. Before they left the room, Lee put the blue contacts case in his pocket.

Hand in hand, they rode the elevator down to the main floor. In the hotel gift shop they found a street map and easily located the street Harry gave them just a few miles away. In the car, Lee turned to Amanda. "Here, hold still for a second." Without waiting for her reply, he quickly slipped the blue contact lens into her eye.

Blinking rapidly, Amanda commented, "I wish you would have warned me first."

Lee laughed, "I did. I told you to hold still."

Rolling her eyes, and blinking still, Amanda carefully wiped the tear that started to form. "Thanks."

"Amanda, I would have worn it but well, you're less threatening than I am. Who's going to be afraid of a nice lady asking questions, right?" Lee said as he backed out of the parking spot.

"You're right, you're right… as usual," Amanda agreed.

Opening the map, she gave Lee directions to the address as they drove. Pulling up in front of a small, two story house, the neighborhood was one similar to her own. There was no car in the driveway so it didn't look like anyone was home.

"Lee, how about we try the neighbors. The house doesn't look like anyone is home but maybe someone else knows Lauren," Amanda suggested.

"That's a good idea," Lee agreed. Taking her hand, they walked together to the first neighbor's house. Ringing the bell, they waited but no one answered. Hoping the next house yielded better results, they crossed the street.

Amanda rang the bell and waited. They could hear footsteps inside the house, slowly moving toward the door. When it opened, a petite elderly woman answered the door, "Can I help you?"

Amanda smiled warmly at the woman, "Maybe. My name is Amanda, this is my husband, Lee. We were wondering if you knew the Proctor's that lived across the street?"

The woman looked up at her, "Hi, I'm Mrs. Taylor. Yes, I knew the Proctor's. A lovely family. Such a shame, that poor girl losing both her parents in just a few years. Wait…. You must be related to them. I'd know those eyes anywhere."

Lee smiled. This was exactly what he was hoping for. "Yes, my wife is a cousin. She was looking for Lauren but we when we tried to call, her number was disconnected. You wouldn't happen to know where she moved to, would you?"

Mrs. Taylor opened her door to invite them in. "Come in, please. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Taylor. We really can't stay long. I've been trying to locate her, but I couldn't remember where she worked and this was the last address I had for her. We have some wonderful news for her. A family relative left her a large sum of money and well, I want to make sure she gets it," Amanda rambled.

"She was working at a firm off the beach. Down on 264. Barker & McNuff I think is the name of it. It's not too far from here. Please give her a hug from me. I miss that child," Mrs. Taylor said sadly.

Amanda leaned down and gave the woman a small hug. "I will. Thank you for your help. Just in case she's not at work, do you happen to know where she moved to?"

Mrs. Taylor shook her head, "No, but I wish I did. She sold the house pretty quickly. One day it was up for sale, the next week she was packing to move. She was so nervous the day she was moving. She kept looking up and down the street as the movers were packing the truck. It was almost as if she was looking for someone."

A buzzer went off inside the back of the house. Mrs. Taylor looked toward the direction of the sound. "Oh, my pie is ready. You sure I can't offer you a slice. Its homemade pecan pie?" she said sweetly.

"It sounds delicious but unfortunately, we need to get going. Maybe once we find Lauren we can come by again, give you an update?" Lee suggested.

Mrs. Taylor looked up at him, "You'd do that? That would be wonderful."

Amanda smiled, "Thank you so much for all your help, Mrs. Taylor. We can see ourselves out. You better get that pie out of the oven. No need to let it get burned on our account."

Exiting out of the house, Amanda reached for Lee's hand as they walked back to the car. "You were right. Neighbors are a great source of information," Lee complimented her.

"Well, you know how observant my neighbors are. If something's going on, well, someone in the neighborhood knows about it," Amanda commented.

Climbing into the car, Amanda pulled out the street map again. She was able to give Lee directions to Interstate 264. Driving slowly, they were able to find the office Mrs. Taylor had told them easily.

They parked the car and walked into the building. There were several other businesses located in the same building, each with their own entrance. The walked to the double doors marked with Barker and McNuff. Inside was a small reception desk with two staircases on either side. At the desk sat a middle age woman wearing too much pink lipstick with a brightly covered shirt in the same shade. Her bleached blonde hair was teased up and her dark roots were evident she needed another trip to the hairdresser. She looked up as they approached. "Can I help you?" she asked in a bored voice.

Amanda smiled sweetly at her, "Can you tell me if Lauren Proctor is in?" She leaned on the top of the desk, blinking slowly.

Lee suppressed a smile as he watched Amanda. She was such a natural with people, he never ceased to be amazed.

The woman looked up at her, "Proctor? Lauren… yeah, she might be. Who's looking for her?"

Lee placed his hand on Amanda's back, leaning forward toward the woman, "My wife is a cousin. To Lauren's mother. We're in town on vacation and wanted to stop by and say hello for a few minutes. Would it be possible for us to talk to her?"

The woman looked at Lee, smiling just said, "Sugar, I can see if she's willing to talk to you but she doesn't usually talk to anyone during work hours. Kind of a no-no, ya know?"

Amanda looked up at Lee, "Sweetheart, I don't want to get Lauren into trouble at work. Aunt Lillian will be so upset we didn't get to see her before we left but I'm sure she'll understand. I mean she doesn't have much time left and well, we could just say we couldn't find her."

Lee played along, "Yes, dear, but we promised her we would get one picture of her so she can see her again." Turning to the woman, he asked again, "Please, could we just see her for a few minutes?"

The woman looked at him then looked at Amanda intently. Amanda looked back to her and blinked again. "Your eyes…. You must be related to Lauren! I'm sorry…. Some men were here the other day looking for her and well, Lauren was all scared. Asked me to keep anyone outside of known clients away from her. She wouldn't tell me why. If you follow these stairs up to the next floor, Lauren's office is the last one in the hall on the left." The woman pointed toward one of the sets of stairs.

Amanda smiled at her again, "Thank you so much. You've been so helpful."

Holding hands, Lee and Amanda walked up the stairs. Reaching the top, they stepped into a small alcove to talk quietly. "What do you think? Use the same story for now and see if we can talk later?" Amanda asked.

Lee shook his head, "Yeah but something's not sitting right with me. Why would someone be looking for her? Other than us, I mean. Mrs. Taylor made that comment too about how the day she was moving she was nervous."

Amanda's eyebrows went up immediately. She knew Lee had almost a sixth sense for things and if he said something wasn't right, he was usually correct. "Well, let's try to talk to her and see what we can find out," she said.

They walked down the hall to the last door on the left. The door was closed and there was no name beside it, unlike the other office doors they had passed. Amanda knocked gently on the door, "Lauren? Lauren Proctor? My name is Amanda Stetson. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

The door opened just a few inches. A young dark haired woman peered out at them with one light blue eye and one dark brown one. Seeing Amanda's face, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Becky just called and said you were on your way up. I don't have an Aunt Lillian. Who are you?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lee stepped closer to the door, "Lauren, do you remember Harry? Harry Thornton?"

Lauren looked at him with distrust, "Yes, Uncle Harry. I haven't seen him in years. He was a friend of my mother's. Why?"

Amanda looked at Lee who nodded gently, "Harry asked us to find you. He… ah… he has something for you. Can we come in and talk privately?"

Lauren looked at Lee then Amanda and slowly opened the door. The office was sparely furnished. There were no pictures of any kind on the walls or her desk, just a few files piled up in the corner and on top of the credenza to her right. Lauren closed the door behind them, turning the lock as she did.

Lee stood, waiting for both women to sit down first. He decided Amanda would be best to ask the questions. She was much better at Class C interrogations than he ever was so he was going to let her take the lead.

Amanda looked at Lee and as he nodded, she understood. They made a great team, and at times like this they didn't need words to communicate. She turned to Lauren and quietly said, "Harry's been looking for you. He said he tried your home but you didn't answer the phone then it was disconnected."

"Uncle Harry always was protective of me when I was little. I don't know why this doesn't surprise me. He wasn't able to come to Mom's funeral. He left a message, something about work, he couldn't get away, but I could tell by the sound of his voice it hurt him," Lauren offered.

Lee nodded, "Harry's a good guy. If he sounded hurt, he was."

Lauren looked at Lee, "You sound like you know him pretty good."

Lee just nodded, "Yeah, Harry gave me a job, took a chance on me at a time in my life when I needed one. Treated me like a son. That was a long time ago."

Changing subjects, Amanda said, "Lauren, we went by your old address this afternoon. The nice woman across the street, Mrs. Taylor, said when you moved you were nervous, like you were looking for someone. Is something going on? Are you in some kind of trouble? We're… we're federal agents…. we can help."

Lauren shook her head, "I don't even know. Right after my mom died, I started getting these crazy phone calls. Someone demanding the knopka. I had no idea what they were talking about so I would just hang up. I thought it was just some crazy person, you know? Then one day I came home and it looked like someone ransacked my house. I tried telling the police but they just passed it off as vandals." She stopped to take a sip of water, then continued. "The phone calls kept coming, so I finally stopped answering the phone. Then I came home again to find a note on my door saying if I didn't give them the knopka they were going to hurt me, like my mother hurt someone named Alina Kursk. I have no idea who that is, but that scared me more so I moved. I bought a condo near the beach. More security, you have to be scanned into the complex. I changed my number, so the phone calls stopped."

Amanda looked at her again, "And you have no idea who it was that was calling?"

"No," Lauren shook her head again. "I just wanted to be left alone. I was still grieving my mom and then having to move... I felt safe here until about a week ago. Someone broke in and ransacked my office. They destroyed everything in it so bad I had to move here for a temporary office until they can repair all the damage. I almost lost my job over this. If it wasn't for Charlie I would quit and move away entirely."

Lee looked confused for a moment, "Charlie… who's Charlie?"

Before Lauren had a chance to answer, the telephone on her desk rang. She picked it up and immediately tensed. "Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I have that file completed. I can bring it down to you now. Yes, sir, right away." Hanging up the phone, she said, "I have to go. That was my boss. I had a deadline on one of my clients and I have to get this finished or else I'll have no job. I'm sorry. I can… I can talk to you more tonight, after I get off work. Meet me downstairs in the parking lot at 6:15?" She stood up and moved toward the door.

Amanda looked at her watch. It was only 2:00 so they had plenty of time to look into the information she gave them already. "Six-fifteen, downstairs. We'll be there," Amanda stood and leaned forward to give Lauren a hug. "We'll help you find the people that are bothering you. I promise. You don't need to be afraid anymore."

Lee guided Amanda out of the office and down the stairs again without saying a word. They nodded at the receptionist on their way out and climbed into Lee's car. Lee spoke first, "Amanda, I think maybe we should go back to the hotel. Let's go through that file we found, maybe there's something in it about this Alina Kursk. If we can't find anything there, we could give Harry a call or call Billy. I have a bad feeling about this." Amanda took his hand in hers and simply nodded.

The ride back to the hotel was quick, as they were only a few miles away. Deciding room service may be their best bet for lunch, they each ordered a sandwich and started going over the file they had found.

Over an hour later, they didn't have much more to go on. The only thing they could see is that Margaret Duncan went by both Maggie to most people and Peggy to a few close individuals. She had done a few drops for Harry but that was about it. She worked at the agency for just under 3 years, then left, from what they could tell, just after she would have gotten pregnant. The pictures didn't yield any additional clues either.

Amanda looked at the shirt closely, hoping that it may tell them something. "Lee, I don't know what we are supposed to be looking for. This shirt looks like any shirt I would buy to wear for work. The embroidery is beautiful, the buttons look handmade almost. I don't see any tears, or secret spots hidden on this anywhere. There are no tags identifying where it came from. No dry cleaner markings. Nothing."

Lee held the shirt in his hands, shaking his head. "I don't know either, but it must mean something. Why else would it have been hidden in that drawer."

"Did you figure out who had her under surveillance?" Amanda asked, fingering the edge of the file.

"No, not really. Just the initials VFD. Without asking Harry or Billy, I have no idea who that is," Lee admitted. Looking at his watch, it was just about 4:15. "Amanda, we have almost 2 hours to kill. Let's say we take a walk along the boardwalk. Some time to be just Mr. and Mrs. Stetson, not special agents."

Amanda smiled at him, "I think that sounds like a perfect idea, Mr. Stetson. I just have one request."

Lee leaned forward, close to her lips, "What's that?"

Amanda smiled before kissing him lightly on the lips, "Can we take this contact out? Its starting to irritate my eye."

Lee just laughed, "Of course, do you want to do it?" He stood up to get the contact case out of his jacket pocket. As he walked away, Amanda easily slid the contact off her eye, blinking rapidly.

After a few seconds, she sighed, "Hopefully I won't have to wear that for a while."

They cleared the file, putting it in Lee's bag along with the shirt and headed down the elevator to the boardwalk. Together they walked, hand in hand, enjoying the warm air, the ocean breeze and each other's company. Stopping to get an ice cream at a local vendor, they began walking back to their hotel. Arriving back just before 6:00, they made the short drive back to Lauren's work.

As they pulled into the parking lot, they could see her closing the back door to her car. Lee beeped as they drove around the opposite row of cars separating them. Lauren waved back in recognition. As Lee rounded the end of the row, he heard the distinctive sound of tires screeching to a stop. He tried to speed up but a car backing out blocked him. He and Amanda heard a woman screaming and as they wove around the offending car, they could see two men trying to shove Lauren into a nondescript black sedan. Lee pressed on the gas to try to get closer.

Lauren was putting up a fight but the two men quickly overpowered her. Amanda could hear her screaming one name over and over, "Charlie…. Charlie….." Just as Lee tried to follow them, another car backed out quickly, cutting him off. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

"I got a partial on that license plate if that helps, " Amanda offered, knowing how irritated he was.

"Yeah...thanks Amanda… I'll have Billy run it." Lee sighed out, knowing he couldn't do anything else. "Let's see if there's anything in her car or her purse that can help us."

Lee backed the Vette up until it was blocking the car they had seen Lauren standing at. Amanda got out first and as she approached the drivers' door, something in the back seat caught her attention. Quickly she threw the door open and yelled to Lee, "I think I know who Charlie is…"

Lee leaned over the top of his car, "Really? Who?"

Amanda leaned into the car and after a few seconds turned to face Lee, holding what appeared to be a very healthy 4 month old baby boy.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lee ran his hands through his hair nervously. This just totally complicated everything. He had no idea why Lauren was just grabbed, no idea where they could have possibly taken her and in the midst of her kidnapping, her infant son was left behind.

"Amanda, what are we going to do with… him?" Lee gestured toward the baby. He had never spent much time around children, never mind infants. He was feeling very uncomfortable.

Amanda bounced the baby for a few seconds, checking to make sure he was okay. "Lee, he has a name…. Remember…. It's Charlie. And as far as what we are going to do with him, well that's a decision we need to make fast. I don't want to turn him over to the local police. They'll just put him in Child Protective Services. We can't do that to him… or to Lauren."

Lee looked at his wife, "You're right. I don't want to send him to CPS either. That's not fair to Lauren. After all, she probably doesn't even know why she was grabbed."

Amanda just smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Charlie. "We can't all fit in your car. He needs to be in his seat. Why don't I follow you over to the hotel in Lauren's car. Then we can go through it, see if there is anything in here or her purse that might give us a clue as to who those men were."

Lee realized she was right. "Ok, I'll meet you at the hotel and then we can figure out what to do with him," Lee nodded his head toward Charlie.

"Charlie, his name is Charlie," Amanda sounded annoyed.

"Sorry... Charlie," Lee replied.

Amanda leaned back into the car to buckle Charlie back into his carseat. Standing up, she carefully closed the door. "Lee?" she called as she opened the driver's door. Lee stood and looked at her over the top of his car. "Thank you." Lee smiled back as he slid himself into his car.

The drive to the hotel was quick and uneventful. They parked near the rear of the hotel, out of sight of the street. Amanda climbed out of Lauren's car and immediately took her purse, the diaper bag and a backpack that was on the front seat and put them on the trunk. She peeked into the back seat where she could see Charlie, sound asleep. She motioned to Lee to get closer quietly. Lee started to roll his eyes but as soon as he saw Amanda's face he made a conscious move to stop.

"We should go through the bags inside, but maybe before we take him out we can check the glove box and the console in the center. Maybe there's something in there," Amanda pointed toward the front seat.

Lee nodded in agreement, "Good idea. I'm not going to wake him if I sit in the front, am I?"

Amanda looked at the baby again then back at Lee, "I think you might be ok for a few minutes anyway. He looks like he's out pretty good. My boys used to have that same look when they were babies."

Lee looked at her and peeked at the baby. "What look is that?" He had no idea what she was talking about.

Amanda smiled, "See how his mouth is completely relaxed but then his lips are moving just a little bit? Now watch his eyes…. They should move around then flutter partially open before they close again."

Lee tilted his head for a moment, then turned his gaze to the baby. Sure enough, his motions were exactly as Amanda had described, right down to the little movement of his bottom lip. "So, I'm ok to sit up front?" he confirmed.

"As long as you're quiet, yes. I don't know how soundly he sleeps so the quicker we can get him inside, the better," Amanda explained.

Lee opened the passenger door and instead of getting inside the car, he removed all the contents of the glove box as well as the center console, which turned out to be very little. Nodding toward Amanda, he took everything and dropped it into the front pocket of the backpack. He closed the door as quietly as he could, making sure it was closed tight.

Amanda watched Charlie, trying to decide their next move. She had no idea if he would wake up when they brought him inside and then what. Taking a chance, she opened the car door and carefully unbuckled the seat belt, weaving it through the slots on the sides to separate it from the seat. Turning the seat, she was able to lift the two out without jostling him too much. Outside of the car, she placed the seat on the middle of the trunk so it wouldn't move. She closed the back door quietly, making sure all the doors were now locked.

Lee stood, transfixed watching her. He couldn't believe she was able to extricate both the baby and the seat out of the car without waking him up. Quietly he asked, "Do you want me to carry him up and you get the bags?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow at Lee, "Do you think you can? I forgot how heavy they get in those seats."

"Do I think I can? Amanda, I'll have you know I've carried plenty of grown adults out of places I won't even mention and you're asking me if I can carry a baby in a car seat up to our hotel room? Please," he scoffed at her.

Amanda nodded, "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you. It's a long way up to our room." She collected the diaper bag, backpack and her purse and began to walk away.

Lee muttered, "Warn me… Yeah, I'll warn you…."

Once they reached their room, Lee was finding it awkward juggling the position of the car seat while he tried to unlock the door. "Amanda, how did you do this with a toddler? This is nearly impossible." Lee announced.

Amanda didn't say a word, she just slipped her arms under the seat and cradled it as Lee opened the door then flexed his harms to try to bring back the circulation. Placing the seat down on the middle of the bed, she checked on Charlie and sure enough, he was still sleeping.

"Well, it looks like he transitions well, so that's a plus," she stated. She dropped the backpack on the small table in the room.

Placing the diaper bag on the bed, she opened it to check for formula, diapers, wipes and any other necessities for the baby. Shaking her head, she said, "Lee, I'm going to have to go to a drug store. There are only a few diapers in here." She then pulled out a small canister of powdered formula. She opened the top and commented again, "And formula it looks like. Glad she isn't breastfeeding. That would have made this very difficult." She found a few small, clean bottles inside the bag as well. Checking the pockets she didn't find any medications or creams that made her think Charlie was sick in any way.

"Why don't you make me a list and I'll go to the store. You can stay here with …. Charlie," he tried to emphasis the baby's name for her.

Amanda shook her head in disbelief. "Really. You are going to go to a drug store to buy diapers, wipes and baby formula? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Amanda, it can't be that hard, I mean diapers… what, a small size? And how many different kinds of formula are there?" Lee thought he was so smart.

Amanda just laughed, "You have no clue. I'll go to the store. It will only take me a few minutes, I saw one at the end of the block. I can even walk there. You should call Billy about that plate number. And then we need to decide what to do next."

Writing down what little she knew about the license plate, she handed it to Lee. She gave him a kiss on his cheek, patted him on the arm and said, "I'll be back in about 20 minutes."

Lee looked at her, then at the sleeping baby. "Amanda, what do I do if he wakes up?"

Amanda just smiled as she closed the door, "Pick him up."

Lee ran his hand through his hair as he nervously watched her close the door. "Ok, little guy, just stay asleep until she gets back and you and I will get along just fine."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Amanda walked the short distance to the drug store. It didn't take her long to find the same brand of formula that was in the diaper bag. The diapers were a different story. There were a few more choices from when her boys were little. Approximating his weight, Amanda chose a brand she knew as well as extra wipes. Taking her purchases to the front register, the young girl behind the counter began to ring her up. "Aw, you have a little one? How old is he?" she asked.

Amanda blushed, not sure how to answer her. Deciding she could tell her a little white lie, she rambled, "Just about 4 months. He's with my husband back at our hotel. Didn't pack enough supplies. Last time I trust him to do it."

The girl laughed, "I'm sure. We hear that a lot. Are you here on vacation?"

Amanda smiled, "Sort of. My husband and I are working but trying to squeeze in some time too."

"Well, enjoy your stay," the girls said, handing back Amanda's change. Taking her purchases, she walked back toward the hotel.

At the hotel, Lee had called Billy, using the encryption code he had suggested. In the code, he gave him the number to the hotel, the partial plate number and the make of the vehicle. Hanging up the phone, he looked over at the baby, still sleeping. He paced back in forth at the end of the bed, trying to decide what to do next. They couldn't go investigating with an infant in tow, especially where said infant's mother was kidnapped. Running his hand through his hair again, he made a decision he hoped would be the right one.

Picking up the phone, he dialed Harry's number. Harry picked up the phone on the 3rd ring, sounding out of breath. "Harry, It's Lee."

"Lee, my boy, I didn't expect to hear from you this soon. Tell me, did you find her? Did you find Lauren?" Harry sounded hopeful on the phone.

"Yeah, Harry, about Lauren. Listen, we… we need you to come to Virginia Beach. We need your help with something. You're the only one that can do this," Lee explained. He didn't know what to tell him about Lauren's kidnapping or about Charlie. I should have waited for Amanda. She's better at this than I am.

Harry's tone changed immediately, "Lee, is something wrong. Did you find her? Tell me, please."

"Not over the phone. I need you here… we need you here. How fast can you be here?" Lee said firmly.

"Christina took the car, she won't be back until tomorrow morning. Noon, at the earliest?" Harry said.

Lee shook his head, trying to figure out what they were going to do until then. Realizing he had no other options, he conceded, "Noon, I'll book you a room. You're going to need it."

Harry was worried, "Lee, please, be honest. Is she ok?"

Lee couldn't lie to him so he simply replied, "I don't know, Harry, I don't know. See you tomorrow at noon." Hanging up the phone, he looked at Charlie again who was just beginning to stir in his seat. "Just hang on a little longer. Amanda will be here soon. I hope."

Lee was startled when the phone in the room rang. Charlie's eyes opened wide as he stared, a confused look on his face. Not sure what to do, Lee picked up the phone quickly, hoping the baby would fall back to sleep again. "Stetson."

"Lee, its Billy, listen I got a match on that partial plate you gave me. You lucked out. Only one Plymouth Renault in black with that plate number in the entire state of Virginia. Its register to a Max Tsipkin." Billy rattled the information off.

"Wow, that's great… wait, where are you calling me from? I thought we agreed to keep this out of the Agency," Lee was confused and slowly becoming distracted by the look on the baby's face. "No...no no no no no" he started as Charlie scrunched up his face to start crying.

"I'm at the payphone down the street… Lee what is that? What's going on?" Billy thought he could hear what sounded like a baby crying but the street noise was making it hard.

"Ah, Billy… what's the address… " Lee was shuffling from the bed to the table, trying to figure out how to stop Charlie from crying any longer and to still be able to write the address down. Figuring a few more seconds of crying wasn't going to hurt him, Lee leaned on the table and wrote the address Billy gave him.

"Lee, is that a baby crying?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, I gotta go…" Lee said half into the phone. As he was hanging up, he heard Lee say "Charlie, I asked you to wait, buddy…."

Billy looked at the phone, then hung it up shaking his head.

Lee looked at the little screaming bundle in front of him, trying to figure out how to stop him from crying. Out loud Lee muttered, "What did Amanda say… oh oh pick him up, pick him up…. How?" He ran his hands through his hair again. Nodding, he started repeating, "It's ok, it's ok, we've got this. You can do this, Scarecrow"

He carefully pushed the button to release the seat straps holding Charlie down. Then he pushed the straps over his little shoulders and ever so gently, he slipped his hands behind him, cradling his head and lifted him out of the seat.

Charlie was still crying, louder than before. Bouncing him just a little, Lee wasn't sure what to do next. Finally, he held the baby closer to his chest, patting his back. Charlie was still crying but definitely not as loudly as he had been. It was at this moment, Lee heard the key in the door and Amanda coming inside with the bags from the drug store. Lee looked up at her, trying to comfort the baby but at the same time wanting to hand him over as quickly as possible.

Amanda dropped the bags on the bed and stood, watching Lee. She could clearly see by the panicked look on his face he had no idea what he was doing.

"Amanda, can you take him, please?" Lee was practically begging.

She just smiled at him, "No, I think you're doing just fine, Sweetheart."

Lee started pacing, still gently bouncing the baby, patting his back, "A-man-da… please... "

She just ignored him, unpacking the items she had just purchased. She organized everything on table, purposely avoiding eye contact with Lee.

"A-man-da…." Lee was whining now. What he didn't realize is that his pacing and bouncing had quieted the baby.

"Lee, listen… he stopped crying. You did a good job, Scarecrow." Amanda smiled at her husband. This was the last thing she had ever thought she would see, Lee Stetson, pacing a hotel room comforting a baby. They hadn't discussed having children together as he was barely comfortable with her boys and they were teenagers.

"Oh… hey, he did," Lee grinned, looking down at the infant now. "Were you able to get everything he needs?"

Amanda nodded. She picked up the diaper bag to place it on the table as well. Running her hand into the outside pocket, she found a slip of paper. Reading it, she commented, "This must have come from his daycare. They made a note of the times of his bottles during the day and how much he ate so that's helpful. From the looks of things, he's going to get hungry soon."

Lee transitioned the baby into the crook of his arm, carefully guiding his head as he did. "You better now, Charlie? I know it's hard, waking up in a strange place with a couple of strangers. It's happened to me more times than I want to admit," Lee had a running monologue with the baby.

Amanda stifled a laugh. "So what did you do while I was gone?" she asked.

Lee sat carefully on the bed, leaning back against the pillow, "I called Billy. He found us a match even with the partial plate you got. Turns out we got lucky. Only one black Renault in all of Virginia. The address is on the table."

Amanda nodded, noticing the paper beside her.

Lee continued, "And I called Harry."

Amanda picked her head up immediately, "Harry?" What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, I told him I needed him here… we needed him here. I didn't tell him about Charlie. I figure we need a babysitter right? I mean, we can't exactly bring Charlie with us to check out that address and I, sure as hell, am not going alone," Lee stated. Then he added, "Besides, maybe he can give us a few answers too. Like who VFD is for starters."

Amanda nodded, "I guess you're right. Maybe he'll have an idea why those men took Lauren. You don't think she in any real danger, Lee, do you?"

Lee looked down at the baby, then back up at Amanda, "I'm not sure but I think she'll be okay. They're looking for something, so I don't think they'll hurt her. They're not professionals from what I can see."

Amanda smiled at Lee. He was looking very comfortable sitting on the bed with Charlie in the crook of his arm. "At least he's safe," she lifted her chin toward Charlie. "We should probably call down to the front desk and order a crib for the night. He can't exactly sleep in his seat. That's not very comfortable."

"If that's what you think is best. Listen, Amanda, I'm going to defer to you on anything for him. I… ah… I have no clue what to do with …." Lee just looked down at the contented child in his arms.

"Yeah. I can tell," Amanda just laughed. If only Francine could see him, she would never believe it.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lauren was being held in a small bedroom. They had blindfolded her immediately after shoving her into the car, so she had no idea where the house was located. They hadn't driven far , the men roughly pushing her out of the car and into the house where they shoved her into this room. She was in full panic mode when one of the men finally came into the room.

"I need answers from you, no more games," he said with a thick accent.

"Who are you? Where is my son?" Lauren practically yelled at him.

"Your son? What do you mean, your son?" he asked confused.

Lauren was now in tears. Was Charlie ok? Was he still in the car, alone? "My baby… I just put him in the car... " she could barely choke out the words.

The other man came into the room just as she spoke. "The man and woman that came to see you today… who are they?" he demanded.

"I don't… I'm not sure… they said they were friends with an old friend of my mother's," Lauren answered, between staggered breaths.

"THEY have your son, I saw them," he spat at her.

Lauren took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. At least Charlie was safe, not left behind in the car still.

"Your mother… Margaret Duncan, correct?" the first man asked.

"Yes, Duncan was her maiden name," Lauren decided the only was she was going to get out of there and back to Charlie was going to be to cooperate with them. She could only hope they would let her go soon.

"And she worked for the Agency, no?" he asked, accusingly.

"Agency? I don't know what that is?" Lauren answered.

"The Agency… government office… like your CIA or FBI only more secretive and dirty," the second man explained.

Lauren looked at one man then the other. "I don't know. I know she was a secretary before I was born, and we moved here but that's all I know. She never talked about work before that," Lauren hoped they believed her. She only knew bits and pieces of what her mom did before they moved to Virginia Beach. And as long as Lauren could remember, her mom didn't work. She stayed home and raised her, alone for the first 5 years until she met her stepfather.

"Secretary…. Don't make me laugh," the first man slammed his hand down on the table beside her. "She was an agent… admit it…"

Lauren shook her head, "No. I don't know what you are talking about. My mother stayed home and raised me, she never worked as long as I can remember."

The second man looked at her. Tilting his head to the side, he replied, "Your mother was an agent for the US government and you had no idea? She is much smarter than we gave her credit. Or you're lying."

"I'm not lying…." Lauren shook her head, tears now streaming down her face, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to get home to my son."

"When you give us what we want, maybe we let you go," the first man glared at her. The two men walked out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

Lauren sat down on the twin size bed, her head in her hands, crying. Who were these men and what did they want? She could only hope they were right when they said Charlie was with Amanda and Lee. They told her they could help, said they were federal agents. They only shred of hope she had at the moment was when they saw the men grab her that they saw something that could help find her.

Back at the hotel, Amanda and Lee were trying to figure out where to put the portable crib the hotel had just delivered to their room. With Amanda's help, Lee put Charlie back into the car seat without making him cry again. Once he was secure, they surveyed the room, to figure out the best spot to allow for maximum walking space without tripping over anything. They decided if they moved the sitting chairs over to one side of the room, the portable crib could fit without being too close to the air conditioning unit under the window. Once the crib was in place, Amanda turned her attention back to Charlie's diaper bag. She started taking everything out, one piece at a time.

Lee watched her, curious. "Amanda, what are you doing?" he asked.

She had just finished laying everything out on the bed, impressed with the amount of clothes, cloths and the blanket she found inside. "Lauren packed this well. There are plenty of changes of clothes for him, plus pajamas. Either he goes through a lot of outfits or she really thinks ahead," she explained.

Lee surveyed everything, "Do you think she packed that just for one day? That's a lot of clothes for just an infant, isn't it?"

Amanda smiled. Shaking her head she said, "No, not really. If he's a spitter then he could go through several outfits a day. Or she may pack it for the week for daycare to make it easy for them."

"A spitter? I don't know that I like the sound of that," Lee cringed. All kinds of images started going through his mind.

"It's really not as bad as it sounds. Phillip was a spitter. Every time he ate, it seemed like half of it came back up right after," Amanda recalled.

Lee covered his mouth with one hand, then pointed at Charlie who was very content, watching them, "Hopefully he's not one of those."

"Scarecrow, are you trying to tell me you can't handle a little bit of baby spittle?" Amanda teased.

"Look, I can handle the KGB, bullets, blood, fights, broken bones… I already told you I have zero experience with… " Lee wasn't sure how he wanted to refer to the baby.

"Babies?" Amanda supplied him.

"Yeah," he admitted. He glanced over at Charlie who was now chewing on his hands. Walking over, he reached into the seat and gently lifted him out, much to Amanda's surprise. "But, little guy, you can help me out right? Maybe show me the ropes?" he asked the baby. As he held him, he suddenly felt a warm sensation in his hand. "Um, Amanda… I, ah… I think he might need a diaper change. He feels a little warm…. here." Lee stretched his hand flat without letting go of the baby.

Laughing, Amanda walked into the bathroom to get a towel. Laying it on the bed, Lee placed the baby in the center as Amanda got a diaper and the wipes from the table. Lee was fascinated watching his wife. She talked to Charlie, was explaining to him how she was going to change his diaper, keeping him engaged the entire time she unsnapped the outfit he was wearing. She unfastened the sides first and took a quick peek inside the diaper first before sliding the clean one under him. The quickly she removed the now soaked diaper, wiped him with a wipe and covered him up with the clean diaper. After securing the sides, she rolled the wet one up and handed it to Lee. "Take care of that for me please?" she asked.

Lee stood there, holding the diaper that was now rolled into the size of a softball, watching as she snapped his clothes back up and lifted him into her arms. The entire process took just about 2 minutes and Charlie didn't make a peep the entire time. "Amanda, that was amazing," he stated.

"Amazing? All I did was change his diaper," she replied, trying to figure out what was so fascinating about that.

"But… how did you do that so fast?" Lee asked.

Amanda laughed, "Lots and lots of practice. At this age, it's pretty easy. They aren't squirming all over the place… now a toddler, that's a different story. I used to have to pin Jamie down with my feet just to change him. You'd never know it now but he used to be into everything."

Walking into the bathroom, Lee tossed the dirty diaper into the trash and washed his hands. "Do you want me to take him? So you can wash your hands I mean." he asked tentatively.

"You don't mind? I got used to doing everything myself when the boys were little I even mastered that one handed, but if you want to take him…." Amanda started handing the baby over to Lee.

"Hey Charlie, you're a pretty good guy, aren't you? I'm sure your Mama is missing you. We're going to find her, I promise," Lee said as he sat down against the headboard of the bed. Leaning back, he placed his hand on Charlie's belly, allowing the baby to play with his hands. Immediately Charlie grabbed one of his fingers and pulled it into his mouth.

As Amanda came out of the bathroom, she saw what he was doing and said, "Here, let me make him a bottle. He looks like he's getting hungry." She mixed his formula and ran it under hot water to warm it up. "I don't know how warm he likes it, so let's hope he isn't picky." Taking a burp cloth off the pile, she walked over to Lee and the baby. "Do you want to do it, or do you want me to feed him?" she asked.

"Um… I'll let you handle that. I'm just getting comfortable holding him, I don't want to push my luck," he admitted.

"Push over," Amanda said as she sat on the bed beside him. Taking the baby, she held him as he greedily took the bottle.

"Looks like he's pretty hungry there," Lee pointed out as he gently rubbed the baby's head.

"Let's hope for your sake, it stays in," Amanda teased as she gently removed the bottle from the baby's mouth to burp him. Checking to see how many ounces he drank, she placed him on her shoulder and gently tapped his back. After a minute or two he still hadn't burped so she sat him on her knee facing Lee and tried another burping technique. Holding his chest and chin with one hand, she gently tapped his back again to be rewarded with a rather loud burp.

Lee watched, again, simply amazed at her. As she laid Charlie back into the crook of her arm to give him more of the bottle, Lee couldn't help but think what a beautiful sight he had before him. His wife holding and feeding a baby. He had never once considered being a father and for most of his adult life had taken every precaution to be sure that didn't happen. But now, watching Amanda with Charlie, he couldn't help think what it would be like. He knew he was just beginning to scratch the surface of parenting with her boys but a baby? Could they do it? After this case was over, he decided maybe they should talk about it. He didn't know if Amanda would want to have another child, especially where her boys were practically teenagers.

Breaking his train of thought, Amanda asked, "So what do you want to do for dinner tonight? Charlie's all set… and he seems to be a good baby so if we went out we could take him."

"Um, dinner, yeah… there's a restaurant a few doors down. We could walk. Then maybe when we get back we can go through the rest of the things from Lauren's car," Lee stuttered, almost blushing at the thoughts he was having.

"You okay?" Amanda asked.

"Right now, yeah," Lee smiled, then leaned over to kiss her gently.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As the sun was setting, Lauren could see its reflection on a body of water not far from the house. She had been left alone for almost 2 hours, neither man returning after their first encounter. She could hear them talking in a foreign language but it wasn't one she recognized.

She tried to understand what it was they wanted from her. Her mother almost never talked about her life before Virginia Beach. Every time Lauren had asked she brushed it off. She had only met a few people from her mother's past, Uncle Harry being one of them.

She used to love it when he visited. He would bring her special treats or small gifts and would spend hours just sitting and playing games with her when she was little. As she got older, he visited less and less until finally he stopped visiting at all. He would call occasionally but when she would ask if he was coming to see her he would always reply he was tied up with work but soon.

Closing her eyes, Lauren tried to think of anything her mother had ever said about working with Harry. All she could remember was she was Harry's secretary, nothing else. In her mind she tried to picture her mother as she was when she was younger, her hair dark and curly as she loved to wear it. She could remember she wore a hand stitched blouse with fancy buttons and a long calf length skirt at least twice a week. She had at least two blouses that Lauren could remember. Her mother would leave her with a neighbor and run errands as she would tell her. Hours later she would come home with a few grocery bags, maybe one from a department store.

Sometimes, when she returned, she would be angry and Lauren would spend the rest of the day playing in her room by herself to avoid being around her. Other times, Lauren would sit in her lap, tell her about her day as she fingered the buttons. Her mother would always gently remove her fingers and tell her not to touch. "But why, Mama? They're so pretty," she would say. Her mother would always reply, "That's a secret, baby. Someday I'll tell you all about it."

When her mother met her stepfather, Steve, those day-trips became less frequent. They did everything together, including trips to the market. Her mother almost never wore the blouses again after that either. Thinking about it now, she didn't find them in her mother's belongings either when she packed up the house. Unable to think of any reason the men would want something from her, she dropped her head into her hands and began to cry again.

At the hotel, Amanda was changing Charlie's diaper again. As soon as Lee could smell it, he made the announcement he was going to check the truck of Lauren's car for clues. Amanda just laughed, seeing the look on his face. Once Charlie was clean, she changed his clothes and put a pair of pajamas on him so he would be more comfortable during their dinner. Lee tentatively knocked on the door a few minutes later asking, "Is it safe?"

"Yes, its safe. He's clean now and I wrapped that diaper up into one of the trash bags from the bathroom," Amanda informed him.

"How is it possible that something that small can smell that bad?" Lee gestured toward Charlie.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Amanda shook her head smiling.

Putting his hands out to take Charlie from her, Lee commented, "What do you mean? I told you, I have almost no experience with babies. Your boys are the only kids I've really been around for any amount of time and well, when was the last time you saw me follow one of them into the bathroom?"

"That was nothing compared to when they first start eating baby food. Now that can be interesting," Amanda teased.

"Interesting? You call that interesting?" Lee was horrified. He looked down at Charlie in his arms, shaking his head. "Do you hear that, little guy? She calls dirty, stinky diapers interesting. No wonder we don't understand women."

Amanda smiled at her husband. There was something about how he was interacting with the baby that was very different from his panic earlier. The great Scarecrow was sitting on the edge of the bed of their hotel room, having a conversation with a 4 month old infant. She wondered if he ever thought of having his own child someday. She couldn't help but think what a great father he was becoming to her boys, how he was learning quickly how to adapt to their moods, how to engage them in conversation. They had never talked about having a child together, they were still trying to figure out how to make their secret marriage work. She was still young enough that the idea was possible, even if her boys were older.

Lee was watching Charlie playing with his hands. He didn't realize Amanda was watching him or what was going through her mind. Looking up,he caught her eye and she blushed, looking away quickly. "Amanda, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, did you find anything interesting in Lauren's trunk?" she asked trying to distract him.

"No, it was clean. A spare tire, lug wrench and a baby carriage. That's it. You sure?" Lee asked again. It wasn't like her to avoid eye contact with him when they were talking.

"Do you want to go through the backpack before dinner or after?" she answered his question with another question.

Standing, Lee walked over to her. "Amanda, what's going on?" he asked, his concern showing in his voice.

She reached forward and took Charlie from him, "Nothing, I'm just… worried about Lauren, that's all."

Checking his watch, Lee commented, "It's after 8 now, maybe we should do dinner first. Do you think he'll be ok? We can stay here and get room service again." Lee reached out to touch Charlie's hands.

"No, I think he'll be fine. He's pretty content so I think he'll be good during dinner," Amanda said as she picked up his blanket. She turned him around to face her, wrapping the blanket around him lightly. "Ready?" she asked Lee.

Opening the door, he smiled and said, "After you two." He put his hand on her back to guide her toward the elevator. They walked the short distance to the restaurant and were immediately seated as it wasn't very busy.

"Will you need a high chair for that handsome little fella?" the waitress asked.

Lee teased, "No, I think I can reach the table just fine."

Amanda shot him a look and replied, "No, he's fine. Thank you." After the waitress walked away she looked at Lee, "Do you have to flirt with every waitress?"

"Hey, you were the one that told me I was cute, do you remember?" Lee teased her now.

"If I remember correctly I said you weren't THAT cute," Amanda smirked. She couldn't resist him.

"But you still said I was cute," Lee smiled at her.

"Ok, ok… yes… I said you were cute. But now I'm telling you I'm hungry." Amanda laughed.

They talked quietly for a few minutes about the menu and decided on a salad for each of them, splitting an entree of chicken parmesan with pasta. Amanda sat Charlie on her lap, facing Lee, his little hands thumping on the table. While they waited, Lee would occasionally capture one of Charlie's hands under his only releasing it when Charlie looked confused. Amanda continued to watch, fascinated by Lee's new interest in Charlie.

Once the salads were delivered to the table, Amanda carefully put her arm under Charlie to balance him as she attempted to cut it up into smaller bites. Their entree was brought to the table shortly after that. Lee offered to cut the chicken for her so she could easily eat. Amanda looked at him, "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?"

"What? Amanda, what are you talking about?" Lee asked.

As she tried to take a bite of pasta, Charlie tipped his head back, bumping her shoulder, dropping the pasta onto her shirt. Shaking her head, she looked down at the baby. "Thanks, Charlie."

Lee immediately stood and walked around the table. "Here, I'll take him. You see if you can get that out before it stains."

Amanda stood, slowly handing the baby over to him. "Are you okay? You've been acting kind of strange the last few hours."

"Amanda, I'm fine. Go take care of that. I have him." Lee replied, comfortably holding Charlie on his hip.

Walking toward the ladies room, Lee didn't see the tear in Amanda's eye as she walked away. Once inside, she wiped it away. It took her a moment to understand why she was getting emotional. At that moment, seeing Lee with Charlie, she realized where she wanted their lives to go. She wanted their marriage in the open and she wanted to have a child with the man she loved. She just wasn't sure if he felt the same way. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, she would have some answers.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The rest of dinner was a simple affair. Charlie was a good baby, he hadn't cried once the entire time. Walking back to the hotel, Lee carried him, wrapped in the blanket as the air was cooler now that the sun had gone down completely. As they walked into the room, Charlie's eyes were heavy so Amanda took him from Lee and laid him down in the portable crib. He shoved two fingers into his mouth as he closed his eyes. She tucked his blanket around him and rubbed his head gently.

Lee took the backpack and unzipped it, taking the contents out. He started looking through the papers that they had removed from the glove compartment. Flipping through, he found nothing of interest so he moved to the smaller pockets. Finding most of them empty, he unzipped the largest compartment. Inside he found a notebook, what appeared to be a diary of sorts, a few pens, a science fiction novel, and Lauren's wallet.

Lee handed Amanda the wallet as he began flipping through the notebook. Amanda looked in each slot, finding her license, credit cards, a few dollars cash, a receipt for gas and a small pack of pictures. She looked at each one slowly. The first was a picture of Charlie the day he was born, then another more recent picture of him. There was another picture of Lauren with what appeared to be a few friends. Next was a picture of Lauren's mother and stepfather taken in front of a Christmas tree and the last picture was of Lauren and a much younger Harry. She was sitting on his lap, a teddy bear in her arms, and they were both smiling. Amanda handed the pictures to Lee, "They look happy. I wonder if there's more to the reason he stayed away."

Lee understood what she meant, "I think Lauren's stepfather may have been the reason to be honest. Harry was never one to get between a relationship."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. He seems to have a say in ours lately," she smiled.

"Amanda…. Harry just wants us to be happy, you know. I think he really loved Maggie… Peggy…. But I don't think he trusted his own heart. I think he knows that now. Especially now that he's with Christina," Lee said. Reaching forward, he put his hand on Amanda's chin, tilting her face toward him. "I just want you to be happy, too." Leaning forward he kissed her lightly.

Amanda kissed him back but dropped her eyes down again. "I am… we are… aren't we?" she asked.

Lee pushed the backpack aside for the moment. Pulling her closer to him, he asked, "Hey, what's going on with you?"

Amanda wasn't sure what to say to him. "I don't know. I just keep thinking how much Harry must have loved them but didn't do anything to fight for them. It seems like he just gave up."

"Hey, hey, I'm never going to give up if that's what you're thinking. It's not going to be like this forever," Lee knew what she wasn't saying. He hated living apart like they were, only spending a few hours outside of work together when they could. He wanted to change things, he just wasn't sure how.

"I know, I know. Look, this isn't going to get Lauren back so let's see if there is anything else here that can help us find her," Amanda sighed. Picking up the diary, she started skimming the pages.

Lee could see the strain in her eyes that she was holding back but also knew she was right. He glanced over at the portable crib, and silently thought Don't worry, little guy, we'll find your mom soon. I hope. He picked up the notebook and began thumbing through the pages. "Anything?" he asked Amanda.

Amanda stopped reading for a moment. Backtracking she read the sentence again, "Lee, this looks like it was Lauren's diary when she was about 10. Funny, her writing reminds me of Jamie's. But there is an entry here… maybe it will make more sense to you. 'Mom went on another all day outing without us again wearing that blouse she loves. When she came back, it was missing a button and she was angry. She said something about the mad Russian and the little fish under her breath. I don't think she knows I heard her.' What do you think that means?"

Lee looked perplexed for a second, "Mad Russian? I'm not sure. That could mean almost anything. And little fish? I have no idea… but you know what… maybe T.P. could give us some insight. He's great for coming up with obscure references. Let me give him a call."

Picking up the phone, he dialed T.P.'s number. Hearing him answer, he said, "Hey T.P. it's Scarecrow. I need your help with something."

"Well, Lee, that's quite a greeting you have for me boy. No pleasantries, just right down to business as usual, huh? How's Mrs. King? Is she still keeping you in line?" T.P. asked as he took another bite of the sandwich in his hand.

Lee smiled at T.P.'s reference to Amanda, "She's fine, she's right here with me. Sorry, we're working on a case… off the books… and well, I think I need help only you can give."

"Shoot. I'll do what I can," he answered, wiping mustard off the corner of his mouth.

"Well, can you see what you can dig up for me on a Margaret Duncan? Out of official channels. She worked as a secretary for Harry Thornton for a few years then moved to Virginia Beach. Also, see if you can find any connections between her and a mad Russian or little fish," Lee explained, knowing how crazy he sounded. But he also knew, if anyone could figure it out T.P. could.

T.P. was shaking his head on the other end of the phone, "Let me get this straight, you need information on Harry Thornton's secretary, a Mad Russian and a fish?"

Lee sighed, "I know it sounds crazy but if there's a connection I know you'll dig it up for me. Harry's told me all he knows or all he's going to tell me."

"Ok Lee, I'll do what I can. What are you going to be doing?" T.P. asked.

Lee glanced over at Charlie who was beginning to make noises in the portable crib and said, "Babysitting. Talk to you soon, T.P." Hanging up the phone, he looked at the crib again. "Is he ok?"

Amanda walked over to check on him. "He seems ok. Maybe he's just settling himself. Jamie used to make all kinds of noises in his sleep," she said wistfully. Turning back to Lee she said, "Did you find anything in that notebook?"

Picking it up again he flipped through the pages once more, "I'm not sure. Lauren was noting everything that happened, the phone calls, her office being searched, the house. She's pretty detailed so there might be a clue but I'm not really sure what we're looking for either." As he tossed the notebook back onto the bed, it fell off, the pages opening. He leaned down to pick it up and a paper fell out onto the floor. Picking it up, he could see the writing on it, in heavy black marker. It read, "Return the knopka or else you will feel the pain your mother inflicted upon Alina Kursk."

"That must be what Lauren was talking about earlier. Who is Alina Kursk? Any ideas?" Amanda said, her eyebrows raised.

"No… and it's too late for me to call Billy. Harry said he would be here by noon tomorrow… I have a feeling he has some explaining to do. This word here…. Knopka…. I know I've heard it before… it's Russian but I don't remember the translation," Lee said.

"It's getting late for us too. I don't know how Charlie does through the night so we should probably try to get some sleep ourselves," Amanda stifled a yawn, realizing she was tired.

Lee looked at his wife. He could tell she was tired, it had been a long day. "Sounds like a good idea. Wait, what did you mean… how Charlie does through the night?" he asked, unsure he liked the sounds of that.

"Well, he might sleep straight through or we may have a long night ahead of us. I only have one small problem…. " Amanda grinned at Lee.

"Do I want to know?" Lee asked.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't pack any nightgowns…." she tried to suppress a laugh.

Lee looked at her, now it was his turn to grin, "So why is that a problem?"

"Lee?! I didn't think we were going to have company in our room…." she said as she glanced toward the crib.

Lee laughed, "I don't think Charlie is going to know the difference."

Amanda shook her head, "I know you packed T shirts… Can I borrow one for the night? Please?"

Lee slid his hand around her waist to pull her close. "I'd rather hear you beg for something other than a T shirt tonight," he teased, as he began dropping kisses on her neck. "We did promise each other Mr. and Mrs. Stetson time," he whispered in her ear suggestively.

Amanda sighed, leaning her head to the side. Knowing she was going to give in, she whispered back, "On one condition…"

Lee smiled, "And what would that be, Mrs. Stetson?"

"We need to be as quiet as possible. If Charlie does sleep through the night, I'd rather not wake him up," she explained.

Lee laughed, "If I recall, I'm not the one who has an issue being loud…"

Amanda slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, "Just think of this as practice for my boys and my mother. They won't be in the same room but they also don't need to hear us either."

Lee leaned back to look at her. "Do you mean, you're planning on an overnight at your house with everyone home? No sneaking around?"

Playing with the hair on the back of his neck, Amanda explained, "I was thinking of Tuesday night actually. Family dinner night, then you spend the night. After this weekend, Mother wouldn't be surprised and the boys seemed fine with it. I think it would be a good way to start transitioning you into the family more and more. Start off one night here and there…."

"So what you're saying, Mrs. Stetson, is that you want me to move in with you?" Lee teased.

"Only if that's what you want," Amanda said.

Kissing her soundly, Lee held her tight, "I would want nothing more."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Amanda moved the backpack off the bed and folded the comforter down. Lee watched her as he removed his shoes and belt. Walking across the room to her overnight bag she took a condom out of the box her mother had given her. She held it up and teased, "One for one… A t shirt for …"

Lee stopped her laughing, "Oh, so now your bargaining with me for sex. Hmm, Mrs. Stetson, you make an interesting proposition. BUT…. what if I refuse?"

"Well then, you will be sleeping beside your naked wife but you can't touch her," she said firmly, trying hard not to smile.

Lee tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then reached into his own bag and pulled out the requested T shirt for her. He held it out until she was within arms reach then pulled her close to plant a kiss on her lips. "You drive a hard bargain. How could I refuse?" he asked.

Amanda smiled, and reminded him, "We just need to be quiet."

"Quiet, right. But what if I do this?" Lee began nibbling her neck.

Amanda took in a shaky breath. She started releasing the buttons on his shirt, sliding her hands inside.

Lee flinched, "Your hands are cold."

Amanda leaned back and teased him this time, "Well, let's get these lights off and warm them up."

Lee could see the twinkle in her eye so he reached over and hit the light switches on the wall. The only light in the room was coming from the bathroom. Watching Amanda, he finished removing his shirt, tossing it on the chair beside her. She reached forward to touch his chest again but Lee caught her hands in his, bringing them to his lips. He blew on them, rubbed them with his to try to warm them up a little more before she touched him again. The effect on her was almost immediate.

Amanda's eyes darkened with desire, her face flush. The simple act of warming her hands had an arousing effect on her entire body. She leaned forward to kiss him, sighing into his mouth when he parted her lips with his tongue. She slung her arms around his neck, pulling Lee closer to her. She sighed into his mouth as he slid his hands around her waist. Leaning back, Lee whispered into her ear, "I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda smiled, running her hands down his bare chest. "I love you too, Mr. Stetson," she whispered back. The next few minutes were spent shedding the rest of their clothes, hands roaming freely on bared skin.

Although she was enjoying their foreplay, Amanda was completely aware of the baby in the room whereas Lee seemed to forget. She was having a hard time relaxing completely as Lee kissed, nipped, and caressed her most sensitive areas where she would normally practically melt in his embrace. He sensed her distraction so he whispered in her ear again, "Amanda, just let go. Just let it go."

Sighing, Amanda replied, "I'm sorry… I just don't want to wake the baby."

Lee leaned up onto his elbow, brushing her hair off her face as he looked at her. "Amanda, he's asleep. He seems to be completely fine. I thought you wanted to use this as a test… unless you don't want me to spend the night on Tuesday."

"Oh Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Yes… I do want you to spend the night… I don't know what's wrong with me," she said sadly.

"Then just relax, please? I promise you I won't let you wake the baby," he said teasingly, his dimples deep.

Amanda reached up and ran her hand across his cheek, "I won't wake the baby?"

Lee laughed, pulling her close again. He ran his hand down her side, tickling her ribs as he did.

Amanda giggled, squirming as his fingers traveled to her waist to pull her closer. Reaching up, she gently pulled him down to her to kiss her. Deepening the kiss, Lee covered the length of her body with his. Reaching to the nightstand, Lee grabbed the condom they left there. Holding it up, he whispered in her ear, "Let's see how quiet we can be, huh."

Amanda took the packet from him, opened it and sheathed him without a word. As they came together, she bit her bottom lip to stop from crying out in pleasure. As he moved, she buried her head in his shoulder, muffling her cries in his skin as she marked him unintentionally. As they both found their mutual pleasure, together, they captured their cries in deep kisses. Breathing heavily, as their hearts continued to race, they laid together, arms still wrapped around each other.

Lee smiled, glancing over toward the crib and whispered,"I think we can call this a success. He's still sleeping."

Amanda leaned up to look for herself. Charlie was curled up on his side, two fingers still in his mouth, sound asleep. Smiling, she kissed Lee on the cheek. "Thank you," was all she said.

Lee looked confused. "For what?" he asked.

"For understanding. For appeasing me. For showing me that we do this, quietly," Amanda gestured to their bodies, still entwined.

"So… does this mean I can spend the night with you, Mrs. Stetson?" Lee teased again, understanding her completely now.

"Well, that depends…" she started.

"Depends on what?" Lee leaned to look at her.

Amanda tried not to giggle as she said, "If my mother says it's okay."

"Your mother…" Lee just shook his head. "I'll have you know, your mother loves me."

"I know, she thinks you're an eleven," Amanda giggled again, unable to stop herself.

Lee shushed her with a kiss when her giggles began to get louder. "Now, you're really going to wake him," he reminded her.

"I'm going to get cleaned up," Amanda said as she slipped off the bed, grabbing the t shirt and a pair of clean panties as she headed for the bathroom. Closing the door, she washed her face, brushed her teeth and hair and slipped the few clothing items she had on. Quietly she walked over the portable crib to take one more look at Charlie before climbing into bed beside Lee. "Bathroom's all yours," she said quietly.

Without a word, he kissed her gently as he got off the bed. Stopping only long enough to get a pair of clean boxers and pajama pants, he closed the door gently, repeating almost the same bedtime ritual as Amanda. As he left the bathroom, he left the light on and the door open just a few inches. Climbing into bed, he pulled Amanda close. The last thought he had as he fell asleep was life was good… the woman he loved in his arms, the relationship he was building with her boys and a mother in law that adored him.

About two hours later, Lee was dreaming about Amanda and their family. They were having dinner at home with the boys and Dotty when, from a distance heard a baby crying. In his dream he was confused, trying to figure out whose baby it was because they didn't have one when he heard Amanda say, "Stay, Sweetheart, I'll get him." Lee tried to stand and ask "Who?' but he couldn't move. No one else in his dream moved other than Amanda. He tried to stand again but she repeated, "I'll get him, don't worry." Somewhere between waking and dreaming, he felt Amanda touch him as she got off them bed. Lee jumped, immediately grabbing his gun from under his pillow.

"Lee!" she shouted at him, reaching down to pick up Charlie in the portable crib.

He immediately put the gun down, sitting up, shaking his head. Running his fingers through his hair, confused, he asked, "What's going on? Why is he…"

Amanda was holding Charlie, gently bouncing him to calm him. "It's what babies do. He's probably hungry. Here," she started to pass Charlie over to him, "I'm going to make him a bottle and get a diaper for him."

"Amanda, what?" Lee shook his head again, still confused, half asleep. Amanda put Charlie in his arms before he had time to process what was going on. Almost immediately Charlie stopped crying. Lee looked down at the baby now staring up at him in the semi darkness.

Across the room, Amanda mixed his bottle for him and ran it under hot water to heat it up a little. Grabbing a diaper and wipes from the table, she laid a towel down beside Lee to change him. Lee put the baby on the towel and immediately started unsnapping the legs of his pajamas. Amanda took a step back, just watching her husband. He had only got as far as getting Charlie's feet out when he looked at her and said, "A little help please."

Amanda smiled, "Do you want me to do it or explain it?"

Lee looked at her, "What do you mean by that? You don't think I'm capable of changing his diaper do you?"

Amanda shook her head, "I don't think you know what can happen trying to change a baby's diaper in the middle of the night. I think you might be perfectly capable, wide awake, and with a little practice…."

Lee interrupted her, "Is that a challenge?"

Dropping her eyes, she shook her head again, "Sweetheart, it's not a challenge…"

"Give me that diaper then. I'll do it…" Lee started pulling at the tabs fastening Charlie's diaper closed. He tried to remember how Amanda had changed him earlier.

Taking the diaper from her, he started taking off the wet diaper when Amanda commented, "Lee, I wouldn't do…"

She didn't finish her comment when Lee immediately felt his hands and arms getting wet. Trying to cover the baby, he shook his head. Amanda began laughing hard enough tears formed in her eyes. Lee looked at her, "You could have warned me that would happen."

"I tried to," she said coughing now. "Let me get you a towel." She walked into the bathroom and got him a towel. On her way by the table, she grabbed another pair of pajamas for Charlie.

Lee was still trying to figure out how to get the diaper off Charlie without getting sprayed again. Amanda stood beside him and suggested, "Slide the clean diaper under him first."

Lee looked at her, then back at the baby. Following her direction, he looked at her again.

"Now take a wipe and cover his… you know… before taking off the wet one," she explained.

Lee did as she explained, muttering "his you know".

"Now carefully wipe him and pull the clean diaper up and fasten it, not too tight." Amanda watched in wonder.

Lee did as she said, even taking his wet pajamas off, handing them to Amanda. She handed him the clean ones and watched as he carefully slipped them onto Charlie. Once he had his snaps done, he lifted him up, saying, "Hey buddy, next time, warn me first, ok?" Lee handed him to Amanda, commenting, "I'm sure his hands don't taste as good as what he has waiting for him in that bottle, right?"

Amanda took the baby, immediately cradling him and putting the bottle in his mouth. Standing, Lee slipped out of wet pajama pants and reached to get another pair out of the drawer. He tossed his wet ones onto the chair as he walked toward the bathroom to wash his hands. Walking back toward the bed, Amanda was already burping him. Sitting beside her, he rubbed Charlie's head and thought for a minute. "Amanda… can I… do you think…." Lee wasn't sure how to ask.

"You want to feed him?" she asked surprised.

"Can I? Try anyway…" Lee put his hands out to take Charlie.

Handing the baby over to her husband, she had to blink away the tears forming in her eyes so he wouldn't see them. She watched, spellbound as he held him gently, holding the bottle just right, talking to him softly. Maybe someday….

Lee looked up and saw the wishful look on her face. Without saying anything aloud, he thought Maybe someday Amanda.

Charlie practically finished the bottle when Lee sat him on his knee, looking at Amanda for guidance once again. She moved his large hand to hold his chin and chest. "Gently pat him," she reminded him. He was quickly rewarded with a loud baby belch and drool down the back of his hand.

"Amanda… a little help," Lee tried not to flick the offending substance off his hand. Picking up the towel, she wiped his hand for him, checking to make sure none of it dripped onto his pant leg or onto the baby's clean pajamas. Once the majority of it was clear, she took the baby from Lee, gently kissing his little cheeks before laying him back down into the crib. Almost immediately, Charlie put his fingers back in his mouth and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes.

Lee once again found himself in the bathroom washing his hands. He walked back to the bed, picking up the dirty towels and Charlie's wet pajamas, putting everything on the chair with his wet pajama pants. Climbing back into bed, he looked over at Amanda still standing beside the crib, watching Charlie. "Amanda, come back to bed, it's …" Lee stopped and looked at the clock beside the bed, "It's almost 2 am. Let's get some sleep. Do you think he'll wake up again soon?"

Amanda shook her head, "No, I think he'll be fine for a few more hours." She looked at Charlie one more time before climbing into bed beside Lee. Snuggling up to him, she kissed his cheek, "Good night, Sweetheart."

Lee wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head, "Good night, Amanda." Once again, he fell asleep dreaming of their family only this time, his dream included a little dark haired baby girl.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Charlie was an effective alarm clock 5 hours later. Lee was awake first this time, quickly climbing off the bed and lifting the baby before Amanda woke up. Charlie once again, immediately stopped crying as soon as Lee held him. Quietly, he said to the baby, "Looks like you're going to have to come with me to take care of a little morning business," as he walked into the bathroom. Closing the door behind them, Lee managed to hold the baby against his shoulder with one hand while he relieved himself, then carefully figured out how to wash his hands. Smiling, he shook his head remembering how Amanda commented yesterday she could do the very same thing one handed.

Grabbing a towel, he walked back to the bedroom. He picked up a clean diaper and a few wipes from the table. Amanda was still sleeping as he laid the towel down on the bed, placing Charlie on it. Pointing his finger at the baby, Lee said firmly but quietly, "We will not have a repeat from last night, got it?" Charlie just looked up at him, kicking his feet happily.

Carefully, Lee unsnapped the legs of his pajamas , extracting his legs, pushing the material aside just in case. Taking the clean diaper, he slipped it underneath the baby, he carefully released the fasteners from the wet diaper. Taking a deep breath, Lee muttered, "Here goes." Moving the front of the diaper, he placed a wipe over him as Amanda had explained the night before. Pulling the wet diaper from underneath him, he finished cleaning him, fastening the tabs. He tapped Charlie's belly lightly with the comment, "Thanks, bud, for the help." He finished putting his pajamas back on him. Picking him up one more time, he looked over at Amanda who was still sleeping.

"Well, it looks like unless we wake her up, I'm in charge of breakfast for you," Lee whispered to the baby. Carefully he put Charlie in his car seat so he could figure out what to do next. He picked up a bottle, looking at it for just a moment. Glancing over at Amanda, he didn't want to wake her just yet. Remembering the slip of paper from the daycare, he fished it out of the diaper bag, searching for an answer to how much formula he needed to mix. Easily finding it, he read the packaging on the formula container and scooped the right amount. Filling the bottle with water to the appropriate line, he tightened the top, and shook the bottle to mix it. "What else, what else…" Lee muttered.

Looking around the room, it dawned on him. "Hot water, warm it a little," he said as he walked toward the bathroom again. He turned the hot tap on high, holding the bottle under it for a minute, then turned it off, shaking the bottle again. He grabbed a burp cloth from the table and carried everything back to the bed. Placing the bottle and cloth on the nightstand, he picked Charlie up out of his seat and sitting down on the bed, he leaned against the pillows. Looking down at Amanda, he couldn't resist kissing her gently before placing the baby in the crook of his arm. Picking up the bottle, he placed it in Charlie's mouth just as Amanda opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she said huskily. "Looks like you've been busy already."

"Charlie and I have been just getting him situated this morning, that's all," Lee stated.

"Uh huh, is that all?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Yup, clean diaper, no spraying this morning. Working on this bottle… um, when should I burp him?" Lee suddenly realized he didn't know.

Laughing, Amanda sat up to look at the bottle he was holding. "For him, about halfway I would think. You really have that all under control?"

"I think so," Lee confirmed.

"Yesterday you panicked at the mere sight of him and now this morning, you've changed his diaper without getting hosed and you're feeding him. What's going on that I don't know about?" Amanda asked suspiciously.

"Amanda, I'm a fast learner. Especially when I have a great teacher," he leaned forward to kiss her lightly.

Kissing him back she raised an eyebrow to him, "But how come you've picked this up so quick but yet you're struggling with my boys?"

"I don't know, they're older? Have an opinion? I'm still not sure how they feel about me, not completely anyway," Lee admitted.

"The boys love you, you know that. Phillip practically worships the ground you're walking on and well, you saw Jamie. And that hug he gave you. How can you question how they feel?" Amanda pointed out.

Gently nudging the bottle out of Charlie's mouth, Lee held it up to check how much was left. Amanda nodded, confirming it was enough. Lee placed the burp cloth over his hand before sitting Charlie up to burp him. As he tapped the baby's back he said, "I don't know, sometimes I feel it's all an act. That the other shoe is going to drop and then I'm going to be back to square one with them." Charlie reward his efforts with a generous belch that had them both laughing.

"I think Charlie disagrees," Amanda rubbed his head gently, "as do I. My boys don't hide much, especially their feelings."

Leaning him back into his arm again, Lee put the bottle back in Charlie's mouth. "I don't know, Amanda, you're boys are great. I just don't want to screw anything up. It's too important to me, you know?" Lee tried to explain.

"Sweetheart, you're not going to mess anything up. I think you're doing a wonderful job. And Tuesday, you're going to see that," Amanda tried to assuage his fears. Reaching out, she rubbed his arm softly.

"I hope so. I want the boys to know how I feel about them and you. Maybe…." Lee stopped, not sure how to continue their conversation.

"Maybe what?" Amanda prompted.

"I was just thinking, maybe once this is over we can be more honest with them, you know. I hate lying to them, just like you do. I feel like I'm betraying what little trust they have in me right now," Lee shook his head. "I think maybe Harry was right…"

"Harry? Right about what?" Amanda was curious.

"He said your boys would welcome me with open arms. Just because of you. And he also told me not to let go of you," Lee admitted. Checking the bottle he saw Charlie had drained it completely. Again, he covered hand before burping him, grateful he did.

Amanda ran her hand down his cheek gently. "They already have, Sweetheart," she said softly. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she said as she got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. Closing the door, she wiped away a tear once again. She took a few minutes to get herself composed, splashing water on her face. She brushed her teeth, then took a deep breath before exiting the small room. "Here, how about I take the baby so you can shower. I can give him a sponge bath out here before changing his clothes. What time did you say Harry would be here?"

Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up, shifting Charlie to his shoulder so he could hold him with one hand, pulling Amanda close to him in a hug with the other. "Harry said not before noon. Charlie and I are ok, you shower first," he said.

"Are you sure? I don't mind, honest," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Amanda. Go. I'm just going to call down to room service for some breakfast and it will be waiting for you when you get out. Then maybe I can call T.P. again, see if he has any ideas," Lee gently pushed her toward the bathroom.

"Ok, but I don't mind taking care of the baby while you shower first," Amanda said as she rubbed Charlie's back.

"A-man-da… I'm doing fine with him now. He's content, so go, take a nice hot shower. Besides, if you stay out here much longer wearing just my t shirt, he may get a lesson in…" Lee teased as he pulled on the front of the shirt she was wearing.

"I'll be out in 15 minutes," she said as she spun around and walked quickly toward the bathroom. She stopped long enough to grab a pink striped blouse, jeans, a bra and panties before closing the door behind her, hearing Lee laugh the entire time.

Lee walked around the room, bouncing Charlie just a little as he waited. "What do you think, huh? Do you think your Grandpa is going to be surprised when he sees you? If I know him, he will not be expecting this. And we're going to find your mom, I promise. As soon as your Grandpa gets here, Amanda and I are going to find her," Lee kept talking to the baby. He picked up the phone and ordered breakfast from room service.

Just a few miles away, Lauren was waking up also. She slept little, too restless, too scared. She was worried about Charlie first and foremost. She still had no idea what the men wanted from her. They had brought her a turkey sandwich late the night before although she could barely eat it. They only allowed her to leave the room once to use the small bathroom across the hall. They said little to her, only issuing commands to move or sit. She could hear them arguing with each other but she didn't understand the language. Nothing made sense to her. The only thing she wanted was to go home.

She heard the doorknob rattle just before it swung open. One of the men motioned for her to go across the hall to the bathroom, "Go, quickly." She did as she was told. They ushered her right back into the room where a tray with coffee, water and eggs were waiting for her. "Eat." The door was closed and locked behind her. Sitting down on the bed, Lauren stared at the tray, silent tears streaming down her face.

As promised, Amanda was finished with her shower in exactly 15 minutes. Before leaving the bathroom, she filled the hotel ice bucket with warm water, taking a washcloth, a towel and a small bar of the hotel soap with her. Carrying everything with her to the bedroom, Lee raised an eyebrow. "Spongebath for Charlie. It's not what I would normally do if he was one of my boys but it will have to make do," she explained.

Shaking his head, Lee started to hand Charlie to Amanda but she put her hand up to stop him. She covered the bed with a towel, and motioned for Lee to lay him on it. Carefully removing his pajamas, she dipped the washcloth into the water, and rubbed a little bit of soap on it. She washed his head, face and paid special attention to his neck under his chin. Lee sat and watched, fascinated. Charlie wiggled and giggled happily with the swipe of the cloth across his ribs, under his arms and on his belly. Smiling, Amanda continued, washing his legs and feet. Looking on the bed she realized she didn't have a clean diaper for him. Lee walked over to the table, handing her one without being asked. "Thanks. I'm almost done. Why don't you go take your shower now. I can finish this and dress him," Amanda smiled at Lee.

"Breakfast should be here any minute. I'll be quick," Lee kissed her on the cheek as he walked toward the bathroom. Just as he expected, he heard Amanda answer the door as soon as he stepped into the water spray. Showering quickly, he dried himself off and simply wrapped the towel around his hips. He walked out of the bathroom, commenting, "Coffee smells good."

Amanda took one look at him and whispered, "You look good."

When Lee smiled, his dimples deep, Amanda realized he heard her and she blushed immediately. Seeing her hands free, he pulled her close for a kiss. Amanda couldn't help but run her hands up his naked chest, causing goosebumps on his skin as she did. "Where's Charlie?" Lee asked as his hands snaked around her thin waist.

"Asleep again, in the crib," Amanda murmured into his mouth.

Lee ran his hands down her backside, gripping her tightly to his body, where she could feel the evidence of his immediate desire for her. She trailed a line of kisses down his neck toward his collarbone. Lee moaned, his body on fire, wanting to show his wife exactly how much she meant to him once more.

Just as he began to unbutton her blouse, the phone rang. "Damn," he muttered under his breath knowing he couldn't let it ring or else it would wake Charlie. "Stetson," he said into the receiver.

"Lee, my boy, that was quite a request you gave me," T.P. said cheerfully.

"Good morning, T.P., were you able to find anything?" Lee smiled, no longer upset with the interruption.

"Shockingly, I was. Where would you like me to begin?" T.P. chattered on.

Motioning at Amanda he needed something to write with she fished in her purse to find a pen and handed him the pad of paper off the table. Sitting down, Lee answered T.P., "How about Margaret Duncan."

"Well, Lee, your Margaret Duncan really got around. She started working for Harry Thornton as a secretary officially however off the books, she ran intelligence collections," he began.

"Collections? For Harry? He didn't say anything about that," Lee interjected.

"From what I could find, it wasn't for Harry. Not that she wasn't on our side but it looks like she was working with Victor Dunforth," T.P. continued.

"Dunforth? Wasn't he running Russian intelligence back in the 50s?" Lee questioned.

"Correct you are, Scarecrow, not just in the 50s. I've heard his name come up a few times the last few years still," T.P. paused. "Margaret Duncan helped him retrieve information continuously, from what I can see."

"What kind of information are we talking about here, T.P.?" Lee asked.

"That's another part of your interesting quest for me… Your little fish? From what I can decipher, that's microfiche," T.P. laughed.

"Microfiche? Yeah… that makes much more sense… but of what? From where?" Lee nodded as the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to come together.

T.P. paused one more time, mostly for dramatic effect. He loved teasing Lee. Finally he said, "The last piece of the puzzle, son. The Mad Russian? Victor's favorite tool for extracting information. MR5."

"MR5, are you sure?" Lee was worried.

"Unfortunately, it's the only logical solution given all the other evidence," T.P. confirmed.

"Alright, thanks T.P. I owe you one," Lee sighed.

"You owe me a nice dinner at 1789. I've heard their squid ink risotto is to die for," T.P. stated, smacking his lips. "Oh, and Lee?"

"Yeah, T.P.?" Lee responded.

"Please tell me you and Mrs. King are finally going to…" T.P. started talking but Lee cut him off.

"Already on that, T.P. Don't you worry," Lee hung up the phone smiling at Amanda.

Amanda looked at him, eyes wide, "What? What's that look for?"

"I think T.P. was trying to tell me I need to make an honest woman out of you," he laughed.

"What?" Amanda laughed. "Oh, T.P." she said, "if only he knew the truth."

Lee looked at her, "He will. Soon."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Amanda looked at Lee. "What do you mean he's gonna know the truth soon?" she said in a serious tone.

"Amanda, I just meant… well, we're going to start telling people soon, aren't we?" Lee asked.

"Tell them what? That we're engaged, married? Lee, what do you want to tell them?" Amanda had so many questions she wasn't sure she was even asking Lee the right questions.

"Right now, I'm not sure but we have something… or someone… more important to focus on," Lee motioned at Charlie who was just beginning to stir. "I've got to get dressed, then I need to call Billy. This just became a completely different case."

"What do you mean a different case? Lee, what's going on?" Amanda questioned him firmly.

Lee pulled out a pair of jeans and a casual cotton shirt. Pulling his clothes on, Lee tried to decide how to explain what T.P. had just told him. Tucking his shirt in, he motioned toward the tray room service had brought up. "Amanda, you should eat while I explain this," Lee said. She took a plate and he poured coffee for each of them. Amanda sat on the edge of the bed, Lee at the table where he made his notes.

Between bites, Lee began to explain, "T.P. found out Margaret Duncan has been collecting information but not for Harry. Another agent Victor Dunforth. I've only heard his name a few times, and to be honest, he was never associated with something good. He used to use a drug called MR5, nicknamed the Mad Russian."

Amanda joked, "The Mad Russian? Sounds like a bad mixed drink."

Lee laughed nervously, "Yeah… I wish it was… MR5 was used by the Russians as a truth drug. Once ingested or injected you couldn't lie. The only problem were the side effects. Now most drugs work their way out your system with very little issues but MR5 was different. After 8 hours, the subject would start having hallucinations as the drug started to break down the synapses in the brain. After another 4 hours, the blood vessels in the brain would begin to deteriorate and finally within 15 hours, death. The only way to reverse the symptoms was to inject the antidote but it had to be within the first 8 hours."

"Okay, so what does this MR5 have to do with Lauren?" Amanda was confused.

"That's the part that I'm not sure about. Now T.P. also mentioned he thinks Margaret Duncan was collecting information in the form of microfiche," Lee continued.

"Little fish… now that makes sense. But what does that blouse and that file have to do with any of this?" Amanda asked.

"I don't think we're going to get any more answers until Harry gets here." Checking his watch, Lee said, "We still have a few hours. What would you like to do, Mrs. Stetson?"

Before Amanda could answer, Lee heard Charlie begin to stir again. He walked over to the portable crib to see Charlie wide awake looking up at him. Reaching down, Lee picked him up carefully. It wasn't until he stood, he could smell the reason Charlie was awake. Holding him an arms length away, he said, "Um, Amanda, I… ah… I'm not qualified for this one."

Amanda simply laughed, placing her now empty plate on the table beside Lee's coffee cup. "Here, I'll do it," she said as she placed a towel on the bed and took a clean diaper and wipes off the table.

Laying Charlie on the towel, Lee motioned toward the door. "I'm going to head down to the front desk to reserve that room for Harry and Christina…" he said.

"Lee, are you afraid of a soiled diaper?" Amanda teased as she unsnapped Charlie's pants.

"I'm not afraid of it… I just don't want to do it," he said as he slipped out of the room.

Amanda shouted at the closing door, "Chicken!" Looking down at the baby, she smiled, remembering when her boys were this small. She managed to change him, wash her hands, wrap the diaper in another bag and put the baby in his carseat in the middle of the bed before Lee returned carrying another set of room keys.

"Good news. I was able to book Harry and Christina in a room down the hall. Now I want to give Billy a call. I need more background on Victor Dunforth. I've been at the Agency since the early 70's and I've never heard his name floating around," Lee explained. Picking up the phone, he dialed Billy's private number.

"Melrose," Billy answered.

"Mind your manners, Billy," Lee said before he hung up the phone. Turning back to Amanda, he said, "Billy should be calling us back in about 10 minutes. How's Charlie?"

"He's fine. Smells a lot better now I'm sure," she joked.

Lee sat on the bed beside the car seat. He rubbed the baby's head gently, looking up at his wife. "Did you decide what you wanted to do while we wait for Harry?"

"Well, you did say there was a stroller in Lauren's car. Why don't we take the baby and go for a walk? It looks like it's a beautiful day outside. Some fresh air would be nice," she said, smiling.

"A walk? With my beautiful wife? Sounds like a perfect way to spend some time together," Lee smiled back at her.

Before Amanda could say anything else, the phone rang, startling Charlie. He immediately began to cry so Amanda picked him up as Lee picked up the phone, "Stetson."

"Scarecrow, its me. What's going on?" Billy asked quickly.

"I need your help," Lee began. Charlie was crying loudly, and even Amanda was having a hard time quieting him.

"Lee? Is that what I think it is?" Billy was surprised. The last conversation they had he thought he had heard a baby but now this completely confirmed it.

"That? That is Charlie. Hang on, Billy. Amanda, here, give him to me. I'll hold him. Can you get me that notepad on the table," Lee put his hands up, taking Charlie from her. The baby almost immediately stopped crying. Amanda raised an eyebrow at Lee as she handed him the notepad as well. Lee sat with the phone on one shoulder, Charlie on the other and the notepad beside him on the bed.

Billy held the phone away from his ear for a minute, looking at it. "Scarecrow? Did I just hear you right? Are you… holding… a baby?"

"Billy, listen, I need some information on Victor Dunforth," Lee ignored his question.

"Dunforth? What does Dunforth have to do with Lauren Proctor?" Billy asked, completely confused.

Lee looked surprised, "That's what I need to know. Who is he?"

Billy took a deep breath, "Victor Dunforth was Harry's second in command back in the 50s until the late 60s. He was in charge of Russian Intelligence during the Cold War. He had some…. unscrupulous ways of getting information…"

"You mean MR5," Lee stated.

"MR5? What? How did you find out about MR5? That's been out of circulation for 25 years. Even the Russians stopped using it," Billy was surprised.

"I'm not sure what it has to do with Lauren just yet but Harry's on his way here now. Hopefully he'll have more answers for me. Thanks Billy. I'll get back to you when I know something else." Lee hung up the phone and looked down at Charlie. "Hey bud, what's wrong? You don't want Amanda holding you today?"

"I guess he likes you better today. My boys had days like that. One day they would only want me, the next, Joe," Amanda looked down sadly as she commented.

Lee looked at her, "Amanda." Lee sighed. He stood up and walked over to her, carrying Charlie.

He handed the baby back over to her and sat down beside her. "Do you miss that?"

"What? My boys being this little? Sometimes. The problems Joe and I had? No, I don't miss those," Amanda hugged the baby gently, rubbing her cheek on his head.

"Do you… do you think…" Lee stopped, not sure if this was the right time to ask.

"Think what?" Amanda looked up at him, eyebrows raised, waiting.

Sighing, Lee said, "Do you think we should take that walk? Before it gets too late and Harry gets here. We're going to have a lot to do when they do. We have to try to find Lauren."

"Why don't you get the stroller and I'll meet you downstairs with Charlie. I just want to call Mother, make sure the boys are okay with Joe. You know, his plans didn't change suddenly," Amanda shrugged her shoulders.

"You really think he'd do that to them again?" Lee asked, on the verge of getting angry with Joe.

Shaking her head, Amanda admitted, "It wouldn't be the first time, but let me call Mother and check on them and we'll go for that walk."

Lee kissed her gently, rubbed Charlie's head, grabbed Lauren's keys to get the carriage out of the car and headed down the hall toward the elevators.

Amanda stood up, placed Charlie back in the car seat and picked up the phone. Dialing her home number, she smiled at Charlie waiting for her mother to pick up. "Mother, hi," Amanda said as soon as she heard her mother's voice.

"Amanda! Darling, how is Virginia Beach?" Dotty said suggestively.

"Virginia Beach is fine, Mother. Listen, did Joe get the boys yesterday? No problems I should know about?" Amanda tried to brush off her mother's question.

"Joe picked up the boys from school without a problem, although I think Phillip left his history book here. I hope he didn't have homework," Dotty said.

Amanda thought for a minute, "No, no I don't think he did. And I don't think he had History class on Thursday so that's probably why he left it."

"Well, that makes perfect sense. So, Amanda, how's Lee?" Dotty tried again.

"Lee's fine, Mother," she said smiling, knowing where her mother was trying to take the conversation.

"Fine? Just fine? Did you find any use for…." Dotty was trying to get more information out of her daughter.

"Ok, Mother, he's more than just… fine…" she sighed knowing she had to give her an inch or else she was going to keep badgering her.

"I knew it! I KNEW it! Oh, Amanda…. Is he… as wonderful as he looks?" Dotty was beaming.

Amanda was blushing, "Oh Mother, I can't… I can't tell you that. That's private. I don't ask you how Captain Curt is, do I?"

Dotty couldn't help herself, "I mean if you asked me, I would tell you. But you have to tell me, are you really working or did you just use that as an excuse to get away, alone?"

"No, Mother, we are really working. I promise," Amanda started but Charlie began crying again.

"Amanda? Is that a baby crying? Why do I hear a baby crying?" Dotty was confused.

"Yeah, that's Charlie. One of the girls that works with us, her babysitter got sick at the last minute so she brought him with her. I wasn't busy so I told her I would keep an eye on him for a little bit." The lie slid off her lips so easily.

"Oh, how old is he? He sounds little," Dotty answered.

"He is little, Mother, only about 4 months. Listen I should go. He sounds like he needs something so I'm going to try to find his mom. I love you," Amanda decided that wasn't a lie so it made things easier. She wasn't feeling as guilty as she was a minute ago. She hung up the phone and turned back to Charlie, "Hey, hey, hey. What's that matter, huh? What's wrong? We're gonna find your mom real soon. As soon as your Grandpa gets here, Lee and I are going to go find her and bring her back to you." Amanda lifted him again, bouncing him gently. She checked the clock and realized what time it was. She picked up his blanket, and headed to the lobby to meet Lee for their walk.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lee was waiting for her just outside the hotel with Charlie's stroller. "You're right, it is a beautiful day out here," Lee agreed.

Amanda strapped the baby in, covering him lightly with his blanket. "Which way do you want to walk?" she looked down one way of the boardwalk then the other.

Lee pointed toward the left, "We can walk toward the fishing pier. It only looks to be about a half mile or so from here."

"Sounds perfect. Here, why don't I push the stroller," Amanda moved to take the handle from Lee. Together they started walking at a slow pace, enjoying the late summer weather.

"Did you talk to your mother?" Lee asked.

"Yeah… the boys got picked up with no problem. I guess Joe really did come through. Maybe Carrie is helping him make a positive change. Shoot, you didn't send your reply back before we left, did you?" Amanda just remembered.

"No, no I didn't. But I'll tell you what, I'll personally hand deliver it to him when we get back," Lee assured her.

"That will be nice. It's going to be a lovely wedding, I'm sure. The boys will look so handsome in their tuxedos," Amanda said.

"What else did your mother have to say?" Lee asked, sidestepping a woman on rollerskates.

"Well, she knows we...ah..." Amanda blushed.

Lee looked at her strangely, "When you say she knows… she knows what?"

"She knows… we… you know," Amanda couldn't make eye contact.

He stopped, putting his hands on her shoulders, "When you say she knows we… do you mean..."

Amanda interrupted him, "She knows we opened the box she gave me to take with us."

Lee began laughing, "Amanda, so what if she knows. After all, we are adults and you are my wife. I am allowed to make love to my wife," he finished speaking in a loud whisper.

"I know, but she doesn't know we're married, remember?" Amanda whispered back. She started walking again, smiling as she did.

"What's with the smile?" Lee was curious.

"She, um, asked me if you were as wonderful as you looked?" Amanda grinned, glancing at him as she pushed the stroller.

Lee put his arm around her waist to pull her close, "And what did you tell her?"

"I didn't. That's private. My mother doesn't need to know that. I don't ask her how Captain Curt is, she doesn't need to know how you are," Amanda was blushing again.

"Well, if you could tell her, what would you say?" Lee teased, knowing his wife was embarrassed talking about their sex life.

Amanda stopped walking and turned to look at him. She glanced to one side, then the other, then leaned close to him, "Well, if I could tell her, I would say you exceed all expectations and then some."

Lee pulled her close, practically growling. He kissed her deeply, running his hands down her back and hip. "Hmmmm, like I said, exceeds all expectations," Amanda murmured.

Lee murmured back, "Oh, Amanda, what am I going to do with you?"

"I could think of a few things. My mother may even approve," she smiled, teasing him.

"Let's keep walking or else Charlie may get another lesson on how quiet I can keep you, only this time he won't be asleep," Lee hugged her to his side.

Smiling, they walked side by side in comfortable silence, reaching the pier in no time. Amanda bent down to check on Charlie. He was sound asleep, fingers in his mouth again. She ran her fingers down his cheek before adjusting the blanket over him.

Standing fully, she looked around the pier, brushing her hair off her face as she did. Lee just watched, mesmerized by her. She could take his breath away with the simplest of actions and she didn't know. He tore his eyes away from her to glance at his watch. "We should probably start heading back. Harry said noon so I'd like to be at the hotel when he gets there. We are going to have a lot to talk about before we try to find Lauren," Lee sighed.

"Do you think she's doing okay? You don't think they've hurt her do you?" Amanda was worried. It had been almost 16 hours since Lauren had been grabbed in the parking lot. A lot could happen during that time.

Lee shook his head, "I told you before, these guys do not appear to be professionals. They want something from her but I don't think they really know what it is. And from the conversation we had with Lauren, SHE doesn't know."

"I know, I'm still worried about her. She must be so scared. She probably has no idea we have Charlie. I would be frantic if I didn't know who had my boys," Amanda announced sadly.

"I know, I know. As soon as we talk to Harry we will go check out that address Billy gave me. It's the only lead we have right now," Lee assured her. "And we know Charlie is safe, that's something. He's been in good hands." Lee pulled her close to him to kiss her temple, trying to push her fears aside.

They walked back to the hotel chatting about the weather, the boys and Amanda's mother and Captain Curt, anything Lee could think of to keep her mind off Lauren. Once they arrived, Charlie was just beginning to stir so Amanda offered to bring him to the room, change and feed him while Lee waited for Harry and Christina in the lobby.

Lee checked with the front desk for any messages as Amanda rode the elevator with Charlie and the stroller. He took a seat in the lobby, picking up a nearby newspaper to read as he waited. Almost 45 minutes later, he saw Harry and Christina walking in, hand in hand. Standing to get their attention, Harry practically dragged Christina to where Lee was.

"We got here as quick as we could. Is Lauren here?" Harry didn't bother with a greeting.

"Slow down, slow down. We need to talk first. There is someone you need to meet," Lee said, seeing Amanda step off the elevator carrying Charlie.

Harry followed Lee's eyes to see the two walking toward them. He looked at Lee, confused, then to Amanda who stopped when she got close.

"Harry, meet Charlie," Lee said, hesitating.

"Lee, not to be disrespectful or anything but why am I…" Harry started to question him.

Amanda interrupted, "Charlie, meet your Grandpa, Harry."

Christina's hands went to her mouth immediately in surprise. She grabbed Harry's arm to steady herself.

"I don't… I don't understand. Lee…. " Harry was at a loss for words.

"Let's go up to our room so we can talk privately," Lee suggested. Placing his hand on Amanda's lower back he guided her back toward the elevator. Harry and Christina followed behind them.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

They rode the elevator in silence, Harry and Christina just watching the baby. Back in Lee and Amanda's hotel room, Lee was the first one to speak, "Harry, I couldn't tell you over the phone about Charlie."

"I'm confused. I thought you needed me here because of Lauren. Where is she, Lee? Has something happened to her?" Harry asked concerned.

Amanda sat on the edge of the bed, still holding Charlie. Christina walked over to stand beside her, reaching out to touch Charlie's hands.

Lee looked at Harry, trying to decide where to begin. "Harry, I need to you sit down. I need some answers from you before we can do anything," he said firmly.

Taking the chair from the table, Harry turned it so he was facing Lee. Lee picked up the notepad he had his notes from Billy and T.P. written on. "What do you need from me?" Harry asked.

Amanda sighed, watching Lee's demeanor change from relaxed loving husband to agent. She knew this conversation was going to be difficult so she made a decision. Before Lee could speak, she stood and walked over to Harry. "Do you want to hold Charlie?"

Harry and Lee looked at her strangely. Amanda glanced back at Lee, her expression said it all. Lee nodded, silently understanding it may make the conversation easier. Amanda didn't wait for Harry to respond, she simply turned the baby and placed him in Harry's arms gently. Sitting back down on the bed, she waited for Lee to start asking his questions.

"Ok, Harry, first I need to know everything about Margaret Duncan. I know she wasn't just your secretary," Lee started.

Christina looked at Harry who was now watching Charlie. She was the first to answer, "No, she wasn't just his secretary. She helped collect information over the years for Harry and for me. She's one of the reasons Harry was able to get me here."

"What kind of information?" Amanda asked, surprised Christina was the one to answer.

"All kinds. Plenty of secrets from the Russian Embassy, especially during the Cold War. The last few years, before she died, mostly target information. Hits that were being set up, where, when, that kind of thing," Christina replied again.

"Ok, what does Victor Dunforth have to do with this?" Lee questioned his mentor.

"Dunforth supervised and assisted Peggy. He would use his own personal methods to extract the information, Peggy would transport it," Harry answered this time, his eyes still never leaving Charlie.

"When you say methods, you're talking about MR5 right?" Lee questioned again.

Harry's head shot up quickly, "MR5? But how do you…"

"Lauren wrote about it in a diary when she was a kid… the Mad Russian and the little fish," Amanda supplied.

Shaking his head, Harry tried to find the connection, "Little fish?"

Lee laughed, "Exactly what I said until T.P. put it together for us. Microfiche. He's the one who figured out Dunforth was working with Peggy. What I don't understand is what any of this has to do with Lauren."

"When we saw Lauren for a few minutes yesterday, she said she had been receiving phone calls threatening her. She said she moved because someone broke into the house and searched it. She found this note," Amanda stopped talking to pull the note out of Lauren's backpack.

"She said they keep asking for the knopka… Christina? What is that?" Lee looked over at the older woman who was now sitting beside Harry.

"Knopka… that means button. Why are they looking for buttons?" Christina shook her head, looking at Lee and Harry.

Now it was Harry's turn to sigh. He stood up, gently sliding Charlie into Christina's arms. Pacing, he put his hand to his head, trying to decide how to explain it. Finally he said, "Peggy used to hide the microfiche in the buttons of her blouse."

Lee and Amanda looked at each other, her eyebrows raised to his furrowed ones. "Harry, I don't understand," Lee stated.

"Look, Lee, I should have told you this from the beginning. I'm sorry. I didn't know… Did you bring that blouse with you, the one you showed me in your apartment?" Harry needed to explain.

"Yeah, its right here," Amanda pulled it out of her bag, handing it to Harry.

Holding the button shank, Harry gently twisted one of the button tops until it came off in his hand, revealing a cavity to hide small items. "The microfiche would be cut and hidden here. She could go anywhere and be searched and no one would check the buttons." Checking each of them, they could see the buttons were all empty.

"So if these are all empty we can assume these aren't the buttons they are looking for." Amanda commented.

"Do you think Lauren knows about this?" Harry asked.

"Or knows where another blouse like this might be?" Lee continued Harry's thought.

"Lee, I have something…. I should have told you about before you came here." Harry reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. Inside was a letter and a key. "Peggy sent me these about 2 years ago. The letter told me to hang onto it until I felt Lauren needed to know the truth about her and me. It's for a safety deposit box. I don't know what's it in, but whatever it is, Peggy didn't tell Lauren about it."

Lee looked at Amanda. "Well, we need to check out that address that Billy gave me. Hopefully Lauren will be there and then we can check out this box," he said.

"Wait, Lee, what do you mean Lauren will be there… Where is she?" Harry demanded.

Amanda stood up and walked over to Harry. Putting her left hand on his arm she said, "We saw Lauren get grabbed by two men last night. Lee doesn't think they're professionals just how they handled themselves. That's how we ended up with Charlie. We don't think the men knew anything about him either because they grabbed her, leaving him behind in the car."

Harry put his hand over hers, "Do you think she's ok? Why didn't you tell me. We… we… could have tried to come sooner… if anything has happened to her…."

"Easy, Harry, I'm pretty sure she's ok. Really, Amanda got the license plate. I had Billy run it for me. The address isn't far from here. We need you to stay here with Charlie. We couldn't risk bringing him obviously and me going alone wasn't an option," Lee explained. "Oh, does the name Alina Kursk mean anything to you?" he added.

"Alina? Yes, she was an associate at the Embassy. She worked in their accounting department. I knew her. Why?," Christina said, adjusting the baby in her arms.

"Lauren mentioned the men said they would hurt her like her mother hurt Alina. Do you know what that means?" Amanda looked from Christina to Harry.

"Peggy couldn't hurt anyone, not physically anyway. Victor was the one who… " Harry couldn't finish his sentence. It dawned on him what the men might be talking about. "Wait, about 5 years ago, Peggy told me how Victor crossed the line with someone, trying to get information. She said he held back on giving the antidote until it was too late. She said the woman had given them offshore bank account numbers the KGB was using to pay mercenaries and he had insisted there was more. The woman died in a few hours. Peggy was furious. It was the last time she ever went on a run with him."

"Did she ever mention the woman by name?" Lee asked.

"No, I don't think she did but I remember hearing through the grapevine right around the same time that Alina had died. I thought it was one helluva coincidence," Harry said.

Charlie was beginning to squirm in Christina's arms. Before anyone could move, Lee walked over, taking the baby from her. He held him against his shoulder for a moment, then said quietly to him, "What's the matter, bud? We need you to keep it together for a while. Amanda and I are gonna go find your mom."

Harry looked at him, stunned. "Scarecrow, I never thought I'd see the day."

Lee looked at him "What?"

Smiling, Harry patted Amanda's hand, still resting on his arm, "You've done a good job with him. But I think there is something you haven't told me, young lady."

"I don't know what you mean, Harry," Amanda answered, eyes wide.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the new jewelry you and Lee have been sporting. How long?" Harry said knowingly.

Looking down, Amanda realized they were wearing their wedding rings. She slowly picked her head up, making eye contact with her husband. Dark brown eyes met hazel ones across the room, realizing they couldn't lie their way out of this. Amanda slowly moved her hand away from Harry's arm.

Lee watched her moving slowly toward him and Charlie. She took the baby from him and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You tell him," she said quietly.

Lee swallowed hard, knowing this was the first time he would say these words aloud, "Harry, Amanda and I have been married for 6 months now, but only a few people know the truth. Billy doesn't know, my uncle doesn't know….Hell Amanda's family doesn't even know….."

Harry stopped him with one word, "Why?"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

When Lee didn't answer, Harry asked again, "Lee, why haven't you told anyone?"

"Honestly? I don't know anymore," Lee looked at Harry as he spoke. "In the beginning we were afraid for the safety of Amanda's family. We were on a case and a child had been kidnapped. We don't want that for her family."

"But, Lee, how is being married and not telling her family or anyone else for that matter keeping anyone safe? Doesn't it make you more vulnerable?" Harry reasoned.

"We just want to keep my boys safe, Harry, you of all people should understand that," Amanda tried.

"Amanda, I know I lost out on my daughter's life trying to keep her safe. Do you really want that for your boys? Do you really want them to miss out on their mother's happiness? On Lee's?" Harry questioned her.

"I don't know, Harry, I just want to be sure my boys..." Amanda started but was interrupted by Christina.

"Your boys won't ever be safe. There's always going to be someone or something out there to hurt them. It could happen any time, any where… a drunk driver, a fire, hell, an allergic reaction to something you didn't even know they had. Keeping your marriage a secret, hiding a very important part of your life from them. That's going to hurt them in ways you won't even think of."

Looking down, Amanda's eyes filled with tears as she realized how true Christina's words were. She hugged Charlie close to her, trying to hide her tears but it was too late. Lee had already seen them sliding down her cheeks. Stepping to her, he knelt down to take her face in his hands. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs, "I'm sorry, Amanda. This whole stupid thing was my idea. I just didn't think…."

"No, WE didn't think. We didn't think beyond what was right in front of us. But it's not too late to fix it." Taking a deep breath, Amanda stood, Lee following her lead. She walked over, gently put Charlie in the portable crib and turned to face Harry and Christina. "Right now is not the time for Lee and I to figure out our mistakes. Right now we need to get Lauren back. Now Charlie just had a bottle, he's been changed. He should be fine for a few hours. We need you to stay here and keep him safe."

Harry looked at Christina and back at Amanda and Lee, "I want to help. Lee, please."

Lee just shook his head, "No, Amanda's right. We need you both here, for Charlie. With any luck, we'll be back sooner than you know it." Taking Amanda's hand in his, they walked toward the door, stopping only long enough to get the address Billy had given them.

Harry stopped them one more time, "Lee, please. Bring her back safe."

"We'll do our best, Harry," Lee nodded at him as he and Amanda exited the hotel room, closing the door behind them. Reaching for her hand, they walked together to the elevator. Lee could feel her hands shaking. Walking to his car, Lee hoped she would relax but the closer they got to the car, the shakier they seemed. Stopping before opening the doors, he put both hands on her shoulders, "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, worried.

Amanda looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears again. "Lee, I just can't help feeling like we failed."

"Failed? Amanda, we haven't even started searching for Lauren. How can you say we failed?" Lee was confused.

"Not Lauren. Us. We… hid… all of this… for what? Christina is right. We may have caused more damage than we even know if they find out now," Amanda covered her mouth.

"Listen, we're going to tell them. Somehow, some way, we are going to tell them. But right now, we need to keep it together so we can find Lauren." Lee pulled her into a tight hug. Amanda couldn't hold the tears back any longer. She wrapped her arms around Lee's waist to hold him tighter as she cried. Lee put his chin on the top of her head, feeling her body shake. He knew she needed to let it out, she had been holding it back for 6 months.

"I'm sorry. I just… I just can't lie to them anymore," she cried into his shoulder.

Lee lifted her chin with one hand, "And we are going to find a way, I promise you."

Amanda wiped her face with her hands, "I know. Gosh, I must look a mess now."

"You look beautiful," Lee said as he kissed her gently, "Now, let's go see if we can find Lauren." He reached behind her to open the car door. When she was settled inside, he closed the door, running his hand through his hair nervously. Climbing into the driver's seat, he looked at the address. Amanda was already pulling out the local street map.

Lee read the address off and Amanda searched the street listings to find it. "Well, it looks like that street is only about 5 miles from here. Did Billy say anything else? Turn left here," she began directing him as he drove.

"No, nothing, just a name and address. I wish I knew the connection between Kursk and this Tsipkin," Lee admitted. "And who is the other guy working with him. And why?"

"Turn here," Amanda pointed to another street. "What do you think they're doing to her? And turn up there, that's the street." They drove in silence for another minute, searching for the house number. "Oh, look there, that looks like the car that grabbed Lauren," Amanda pointed at the black sedan on the side of the road.

Lee pulled over, behind the car. Taking his gun out of the holster, he checked the safety and made sure a round was in the chamber before putting it away again. He grabbed Amanda's hand and squeezed it. "What do I always tell you?" he reminded her.

"I know, any sign of trouble, get out of there and get help. At least you stopped telling me to stay in the car," she teased.

"After what happened in California, I'll never tell you to stay in the car. Follow your instincts, it's what you do best," Lee smiled at his wife, glad her mood had shifted. "How do you want to handle this?"

"Well, we could just walk up to the front door but I don't know if that's gonna work. We don't know if Lauren is even here," Amanda said, looking at the front of the small house.

"Well, how about you take the front and I'll sneak around the back. And we do just that, walk right up. They don't know us so they probably won't suspect anything," Lee suggested. "The water is right behind the house so if they try to sneak outside that way they aren't going far."

"All right, sounds like a plan," Amanda climbed out of the car, waiting for Lee. "I'll give you a head start." She waited until Lee was halfway to the back of the house before walking toward the front door. Once on the porch, she glanced into the window beside the door. She didn't see anything unusual so she rang the doorbell and waited.

Behind the house, Lee was checking the windows he could see in. Before climbing onto the deck on the back of the house, he glanced into the last room and he could see Lauren, now tied to a chair. One of the men was standing in front of her, a syringe in his hand. Lee rushed to the back door finding it locked, he kicked it twice before it gave way. Running into the house, Lee quickly found the room Lauren was in.

Amanda could hear the banging from the back of the house, "Lee? Lee? What's going on?" She couldn't see anything from the front of the house but knew she shouldn't move. She tried the door but it was locked. Looking around, she quickly checked under the front mat for a key. Not finding one, she checked the flower pots and finally ran her hand over the top ledge of the door frame. Using the key, she opened the front door and ran inside, looking for Lee.

Inside the small bedroom, the two men were facing off with Lee. One man had been behind the door when Lee rushed in and was able to knock his gun free. The other was now wrestling Lee slamming into furniture and the walls. Lee managed to get the upper hand, a quick uppercut knocked the man unconscious.

The second man was much smaller than Lee knew he was going to be no match for him. He quickly ran toward the door, colliding with Amanda in the hall, knocking her down as he ran for the back door. She scrambled to her feet, chasing him. Outside he ran toward the dock behind the house where a small speedboat was tied up. He quickly jumped into the boat, starting the engine before Amanda's feet even hit the wooden planks of the dock. Looking around she couldn't see any other boats close by to keep chase.

Knowing there was nothing else she could do, she ran back to the house to find Lee untying Lauren who was unconscious. Lee looked up as she entered the room, "Amanda, call an ambulance. She's been injected with something. I can only find the syringe, not the bottle."

She scanned the kitchen. Finding a phone on the wall, she quickly dialled 911. She gave them the address and ran back into the small room. "The other man got away in a boat. I couldn't follow him."

Lee had lifted Lauren and laid her on the bed, and checked her pulse. Using the ropes he tied the hands of the man he had knocked out. As they waited, Lee quickly checked his pockets, looking for any kind of identification. He found a small wallet in his back pocket. Flipping it open, he held it out to Amanda, "Well, this isn't Max Tsipkin. This is Andre Kuznetsov. And he has a lot of explaining to do. Like what they injected Lauren with for starters."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As they waited for the ambulance, Lee called Billy, ignoring the protocol they had set up. "Billy, it's me. Listen, we have a situation. We found Lauren, drugged. We're waiting for the ambulance now. I'm going to need you to contact the local office. I've got another subject here that's I'm going to need to question. I don't know how he's tied to all of this but I'm going to find out."

Billy listened, jotting down notes as Lee spoke. "I'll take care of that now. Scarecrow, is Lauren going to be all right?"

"I don't know, Billy. I don't know what they injected her with so until we do, we're just gonna have to keep our fingers crossed," Lee admitted.

Hearing sirens, Amanda immediately went to the front door to flag them down. Right behind the ambulance were two police cars. As they pulled up to the house, Amanda ran to Lee's car to get her badge out of her purse. Holding it up as the officers approached, she quickly explained where Lauren was and that her partner, Lee Stetson was waiting inside with her and a suspect.

The paramedics quickly ran inside the house, where Lee stood in the hall, waiting. Amanda stayed outside, explaining to the officers everything that she knew had happened, why they were there and who they were looking for.

The paramedics first took Lauren's vitals. Lee handed them the syringe he found on the floor. "I can't find the vial. I have no idea what they injected her with."

The first paramedic looked at Lee, "Well, her heart rate is strong, blood pressure is fine. She doesn't seem to be in distress right now although her breathing is a bit shallow." He took the syringe and placed it in an evidence bag. "We'll have the hospital test this, find out what it is. Who should we contact?"

Handing them one of his cards,"Me and my partner. We're staying at the Barclay Towers. I need to know the second she wakes up," Lee informed them.

The second paramedic look at Kuznetsov, "What about him?"

Lee glanced over at him. Kuznetsov was beginning to groan as he came to. "He'll be ok. I need to question him."

Outside, an Agency vehicle pulled up with two agents inside. They stopped at Amanda, still giving her statement to the local police, "We're looking for Scarecrow?"

"He's inside still," Amanda looked toward the house. The paramedics were just beginning to bring Lauren out on a stretcher. Amanda sucked in a quick breath, seeing her strapped down, still unconscious. Behind them, Lee followed, leading Kuznetsov.

"Scarecrow? Agent Miller. Agent Rockwood. We got a call from a William Melrose in DC saying you needed backup and a place for an interrogation," Agent Miller said.

"You guys are fast. I just got off the phone a few minutes ago," Lee was surprised.

"We were on a call not too far from here when this came in. Said it was Priority One," Agent Rockwood explained.

"Okay, I need him checked in and set up for a full interrogation. The first thing I need from him though is what they injected our victim with," Lee gestured toward the ambulance which was beginning to pull away. He called over toward the police, "What hospital are they taking her too?"

The officer replied, "General on First Colonial Road."

Turning back to Agent Miller, Lee said, "How long to process him?"

"Him? About an hour. Then we can put him in interrogation to wait for you," Agent Miller replied.

"Yeah, that's perfect. Amanda, that gives us enough time to check out that other lead. You know the one Harry just gave us," Lee called over to Amanda.

Amanda nodded, knowing he was talking about the key to the safe deposit box. The address of the bank wasn't far from the hotel so an hour should give them more than enough time.

"Ok, Scarecrow, I'll contact Mr. Melrose and give him the processing information, casefile number and location information," Agent Miller informed him. "Will he know how to contact you directly?"

"Yeah, I have a phone in my car. He can call me on that," Lee answered, gesturing to his car. "If he says anything on the way there, please, contact us immediately. We need to know what was in that vial. It could be a matter of life and death."

"Will do." The two agents put Kuznetsov in the car, closing the door after him. Amanda and Lee watched them drive away.

"Do you think he'll say anything to help?" Amanda asked.

"I said before I didn't think they were professionals and from they way they panicked when I got in there, now I'm positive. I just wish I knew what they wanted Lauren for," Lee ran his hand through his hair nervously. "And I sure as hell wish I knew what they injected her with."

"Did the paramedics say anything?" Amanda was worried too.

"No, just her breathing was shallow, everything else seemed ok," Lee answered.

"Lee, you don't think its that MR5 drug, do you?" Amanda asked, hesitantly.

Lee didn't even want to consider it. "No, no I don't think so. Where would they get their hands on that, huh? Don't worry, the hospital will test that syringe and with any luck…" Lee didn't know how to finish his sentence.

"We should probably finish up with the local police so we can head over to that bank," Amanda put her and on Lee's arm.

"Yeah, yeah, we need to talk to the boys in blue. Maybe they can put this place under surveillance in case Tsipkin comes back," Lee sighed.

They spent a few minutes with the local police who did agree to have a car stationed down the street until further notice from Lee in case Tsipkin did return. Lee gave them Billy's number for a contact in case anything else happened.

"There's nothing else we can do here," Lee checked his watch. "We still have about 45 minutes before they finish processing our new friend. Let's go check out that safe deposit box."

"Sounds like a plan. Should we check in with Harry? Let him know what's going on? After all, Lauren is his daughter," Amanda questioned.

Shaking his head, Lee replied, "I know it might be wrong but not yet. We need to know what was in that syringe before I start worrying Harry. We need him to keep an eye on Charlie. It's not going to do us any good if Harry takes off for the hospital. Christina will follow him there and then we are back to where we were yesterday. No, I think we check out that box, then head over to interrogation. We need some answers. We keep coming up with more questions."

They drove to the Langley Federal Credit Union, the bank Peggy had identified in her letter to Harry. Once inside, a relatively new bank employee brought the pair to retrieve the box indicated on the key, after Amanda gave her a long rambling story about losing her wallet and how a copy of everything was in that box. Once the woman left, the put the box on the lone table in the room to open it.

Inside they found two blouses, almost identical to the one they found in the vault.

"Lee, would you look at this," Amanda said, reading a document she found.

"What is it?" Lee asked, flipping through a few other envelopes containing stock certificates.

Amanda's eyebrows raised, "You're never going to believe this. It's copy of Lauren's birth certificate, listing Harry as her biological father." She turned the paper around so he could see it.

"And here is the bank book for that account Harry was talking about," Lee held up the small red book.

Amanda flipped through a few more envelopes, finding a bound book buried under more papers. Opening it, she thumbed the pages, "Lee, I think this is pretty important. It's a list of every contact Peggy made, what information she got. Names, dates. And Victor's name is all over this. From what I can see, he's was pretty ruthless."

"Let me see that." Lee took the book from here. He flipped the pages until he got close to the end, "Amanda, this book has Alina Kursk's name in it. Now it looked like they got something called the Coreforce List from her. But there's a notation beside her name, does this symbol mean anything to you?"

Lee pointed to a spot on a page in the book. Amanda swallowed hard, "Lee, that looks like shorthand for death. Does that mean that Victor and Peggy killed her?"

"I don't think Peggy had anything to do with that part of it. But that doesn't mean Tsipkin knows that. We still don't know why he's after Lauren… unless there's something in one of these buttons…. Do you remember how Harry got them off the other shirt?" Lee had an idea.

"He just held this part and twisted," Amanda said as she demonstrated on the first button. Inside it was empty so she tried another one. This time something fell out - small clear sheet of microfiche covered in black dots.

"We're not going to be able to read this without a reader or a microscope at least. Let's take all this back to the hotel, go through it and have it shipped by courier to Billy. He can have the boys in Crypto take a look. Then maybe we can get some real answers," Lee stated.

"I agree. And I think it's almost time for you to head over to interrogation. The hotel is just down the street, why don't you drop me off, I can get this packaged up and sent. Then I can check on Charlie too. It's funny, I've already become attached to the little guy," Amanda dropped her eyes, slightly embarrassed at the thought.

"You know what, so have I," Lee admitted.

They removed everything from the box, and after closing it up, and putting it away, they left the bank. Lee dropped Amanda off at the front door of the hotel. Before she got out, he reminded her, "Don't say anything about Lauren just yet. If Harry asks, tell him I'm following up on another lead."

"I don't want to lie to him, Lee. I feel like we've lied enough," Amanda pressed her lips together firmly.

"You're not lying. I have to find out what was in that syringe and maybe get some answers as to why Tsipkin is after her," Lee assured her.

"And what if he asks where she is? Then what?" Amanda asked nervously.

"Do you know where she is right now?" Lee asked, eyebrow raised.

Amanda eyed him, "Well I don't know where she is exactly…"

"So that's all you have to tell him. I'll be back soon. I promise. Now get that stuff off to Billy. I'll be back before you know it," Lee said. "Oh, one more thing."

"What's that?" Amanda stopped getting out of the car.

"I love you, Mrs. Stetson," Lee pulled her back for a kiss.

"I love you too, Mr. Stetson," Amanda replied, smiling.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Amanda nervously rode the elevator to the 6th floor. She had stopped at the front desk to inquire about the courier service and they informed her it would be there in 30 minutes, the package in DC by early evening via air transport. She had to work fast to get everything together and in the envelope they provided her. She also needed to call Billy and tell him what they were sending and when it should arrive. What she didn't need was Harry asking a lot of questions she didn't have answers for.

Taking a deep breath, she exited the elevator and began walking down the hall. She could hear Charlie crying before she got to the room. Shaking her head, she knocked on the door. Christina opened it quickly, looking very frazzled.

"What's wrong with Charlie?" Amanda asked as she entered. She could see Harry holding him, bouncing him gently.

"I don't know, he woke up about 10 minutes and just started crying. I've been trying to calm him down but nothing I've done seems to work," Harry explaining.

Amanda walked over, taking a very upset Charlie from him. She held him close, speaking softly to him, rocking him gently, "Hey, hey, hey. It's gonna be ok. Shhhh…. Charlie…. It's ok." Charlie began to settle down, rubbing his head into her shoulder. Amanda smiled, realizing quickly what he wanted. "He's getting hungry. Probably needs his diaper changed, too," she stated matter of factly.

Harry and Christina just looked at each other. How could they both have missed the obvious?

Harry apologized, "I'm sorry, Amanda. I didn't even think. It's been a long long time since I've been around a baby."

Glancing at the clock, Amanda said, "Listen if I make him a bottle, do you think one of you could feed him. I need to get this stuff packaged up and sent to the Agency and not a lot of time to do it."

"I'll feed him. What about his diaper?" Christina asked.

"Can you get me that towel?" Amanda motioned toward one on the table. Christina laid it down on the bed and Amanda put Charlie on it. As she unsnapped his pants, Christina handed her a clean diaper and wipes. Quickly she changed him, thankful it was only wet. Now that Charlie was calmer, she handed him to Christina, grabbing the formula and a bottle. She mixed it up, ran it under hot water to warm and and handed it to her. "He only seems to burp sitting on your knee, not on your shoulder," she said as she started opening the buttons on the blouses they found.

"Amanda, what… is that what I think it is?" Harry asked as he watched her.

"Yeah, we found two more blouses in the safe deposit box. I need to get these to the Agency so Crypto can go over the microfiche in them," she indicated the small pile she retrieved from the buttons. She put them all in an envelope she had gotten from the front desk and with the blouses and the book they found, put everything into the larger envelope, ready to be picked up.

Standing, she turned to Harry, holding the birth certificate in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she turned to him. "Harry, we found this… it's a copy of Lauren's original birth certificate…. Listing you as her biological father," Amanda handed him the document.

Harry took it slowly, his hands shaking slightly. Reading the document, he swiped his hand across his mouth. "I didn't know this existed. Peggy never… she… she said she never listed me as Lauren's father."

"It must have meant an awful lot to her because she did. She may have had it amended after this one was issued. We found a book of hers too. It had names, dates… looks like she was recording all information they collected," Amanda explained. "Does the Coreforce List mean anything to you?"

"Coreforce? No, but that may have been something…" Harry started.

"Did you say Coreforce List?" Christina interrupted.

"Yes, do you know what that is?" Amanda asked.

"Coreforce was the list of mercenaries here in the States the Embassy would employ to do their dirty work," Christina explained. "Alina would have had that list for payouts."

"So, Alina had the list of mercenaries and the bank numbers for payouts. And once they got the information, Peggy recorded it. I wonder if that's what's on the microfiche then. Hopefully Billy will have some answers tonight," Amanda nodded. "I have to get this back downstairs. Will you be ok with Charlie for a few more minutes?" Amanda looked at Christina who was currently trying to coax a burp out of him.

Hearing it finally release, she looked at Amanda, "I think we will be ok for a while."

Amanda smiled, "Ok, I'll be back as soon as the courier gets here. Should be any minute now." Closing the door behind her, Amanda let out a sigh of relief they hadn't asked any question about Lauren. She hoped Lee was having as much luck as she was as she rode the elevator down the the lobby to wait.

At the Virginia Beach Agency branch office, Lee had just began his interrogation of Andre Kuznetsov. He was going to play it rough until he walked into the room to see the man practically in tears. "I didn't do anything wrong, he just wanted to scare her," Andre insisted to guard standing near the door.

Lee motioned to the guard he could clear the room. "You didn't do anything wrong? Then why is there a young mother in a hospital unconscious, injected with God knows what…" Lee began.

"Max told me it wouldn't hurt her, just make her talk then make her forget she said anything," Andre pleaded.

"What was in the injection?" Lee leaned close to him over the table.

"Dental anesthesia… um… Propofol and…. Midazolam I think he said. Nothing that would hurt her," Andre said defeated.

Lee looked at him strangely, "Dental anesthesia? Where the hell did he get that? It's not like you can just get that stuff at the local drug store."

"Max's girlfriend, Mary White, works for an oral surgeon. He went to visit her at work last week and lifted it. He just said he wanted to scare that girl. Said she knew something about his mother's death," Andre was looking at the table.

"Alina Kursk was Tsipkin's mother?" Lee demanded. This is easier than I thought it was going to be.

Andre looked up at Lee, "She was. A nice lady too. Made the best Ptichye moloko cake, even better than my Babushka. He was heartbroken when Alina died. Said he would do everything the could to find out who was responsible."

"Where is Tsipkin now?" Lee demanded again.

Andre threw his hands up, "If I had to guess, hiding at Mary's. She lives on Kempsville Road. Apartment complex. Number 538 I think."

Lee didn't say anything as he left the room, he just motioned to the guard to return to his post inside the door.

Lee stopped the first agent he saw, "Hey how close is the hospital… um...General... from here?"

The agent replied, "Only a few blocks. Take a left out of the parking lot, then another left at the lights. You won't be able to miss it."

"Thank you. Can you tell Agent Miller that's where Scarecrow is headed? If he doesn't get me there he can call the Barclay Hotel. Ask for Stetson," Lee asked.

"Scarecrow? Wow, sure," the agent replied. Even in Virginia Beach, Lee was well known in the intelligence community.

Lee ran out of the building directly to his car. He made it to the hospital quickly thanks to the directions he was given. Racing inside the Emergency department, he flashed his badge at the admitting desk, "A woman was brought in here about an hour ago. Lauren Proctor. I need to see her attending physician immediately."

The nurse behind the desk got up quickly and simply stated, "Follow me."

Lee was thankful as she brought him directly into the ER and Lauren's doctor, Dr. Olufsen. Lee flashed his badge again. "I'm Lee Stetson, I'm a federal agent. Lauren Proctor was brought in about an hour ago. She had been injected with an unknown drug," Lee started.

Picking up a nearby chart, Dr. Olufsen read, "Yes, our toxicology lab hasn't sent up the results from her blood tests or the syringe that was brought in with her yet."

"I know what it is. Our suspect just told us it was dental anesthesia… a combination of Propofol and Midazolam," Lee finished.

"Excellent. Neither are overly dangerous however if they overdosed her, it may take her longer to wake up. Nothing we can do but monitor her really for any side effects," Dr. Olufsen noted her chart. "And you're sure that's what it was?"

"Not 100% but that's what we were told and we don't have a reason to believe otherwise," Lee confirmed.

"Well then, I'll let the nurses know. It might be best for us to keep her overnight to monitor her. Worse case she may have some vomiting, confusion, headache, extreme drowsiness. Is there anyone we should contact on her behalf?" Dr. Olufsen asked.

"I'll take care of that. Her father just got to Virginia Beach from DC but I'll let him know she's going to be ok. Can you call me at my hotel as soon as she's awake? My partner and I are staying at the Barclay," Lee explained.

"Excellent. As soon as she regains consciousness we will call you. It may be a while where we don't know exactly how much was injected, but we will keep an eye on her, checking vitals every 20 minutes," Dr. Olufsen held his hand out to Lee.

Shaking hands with the doctor, Lee said, "Thank you. Much appreciated."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Leaving the hospital, Lee finally let out a sigh of relief. Lauren was safe, in the hospital, unconscious, but safe. Checking his watch, he picked up the car phone and dialed Billy's number.

"Melrose," he answered.

"Billy, it's Scarecrow. Lauren's safe. She's at the hospital and still unconscious but safe. They injected her with dental anesthesia," Lee informed him, now shaking his head over the absurdity of it all.

"Dental anesthesia? Will she be all right?" Billy asked.

"The doctor seems to think so. He's going to keep her overnight, monitor her vitals. He said he'd call when she's finally awake," Lee said. "I need a team to head over to an address to pick up Max Tsipkin. He's hiding at his girlfriend's house according to his accomplice."

Billy nodded, "What's the address? I can take care of that with the local boys."

Lee remembered the names of the agents he was working with earlier, "If you can have Miller or Rockwood go, they helped us earlier. Heck, Tsipkin's friend gave him up without batting an eye. They are definitely not professionals."

"I looked into both of them after getting the case number for Kuznetsov. Tsipkin worked for an office cleaning company, got fired about 6 months ago. Kuznetsov works for a moving company. No ties to the Russian Embassy whatsoever," Billy informed him.

"Not exactly, Alina Kursk was Tsipkin's mother," Lee said. "The girlfriend's name is Mary White, Kempsville Road,the apartment complex. Number 538."

Billy was surprised, "His mother, huh? Well, I can understand why he'd be upset. Did you find out what he was looking for?"

"Does the Coreforce list mean anything to you?" Lee asked, not sure how much Billy would know.

"Coreforce? I think I heard rumors of it a few years ago floating around. The list went missing…" Billy said thoughtfully.

Lee nodded, "Did you get that courier package from Amanda yet? The boys in Crypto are going to have a field day with the microfiche. THAT should be the Coreforce list. I don't think Margaret Duncan ever gave it to Dunforth."

"That package hasn't come yet. Lee, about Dunforth. Not sure if this is a coincidence or what but he was found dead in his house. Heart attack, according to the ME's report," Billy told Lee.

"So the last player is gone. From what I've heard, he's not going to be a big loss to the intelligence community." Lee stated.

Billy agreed, "No, no it will not. His methods were not condoned under any flag. Alina Kursk was just a pawn in his game of information."

"I'm gonna head back to the hotel. Harry and I need to sit down for a little heart to heart," Lee exhaled.

"Harry? What is Harry doing there?" Billy was surprised.

"Babysitting his grandson. We needed someone to do it," Lee said matter of factly, laughing.

"Right, I forgot. The baby. What was his name again?" Billy was now teasing.

"Charlie. His name is Charlie." Lee sounded like Amanda.

"Right, Charlie. And how are you and Charlie getting along?" Billy continued his teasing.

Lee punched the inside of his cheek with his tongue, debating on how to answer him. Finally he said, "Charlie and I are just fine. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to head back to the hotel, close this up and try to get a few minutes of vacation time in…. If that's okay with you?"

Laughing, Billy could barely answer him.

Lee finally said, "We'll see you in the office on Monday. If they don't find Tsipkin, let me know otherwise, Amanda and I will be officially off the clock until then. And I mean OFF the clock."

Hanging up the phone, Lee drove the short distance to the hotel. Smiling, he walked toward the elevators, hands in his pockets.

He arrived at the door to their room, knocking lightly. Amanda opened almost immediately. "Is Lauren ok?" she asked before he even got inside.

Lee followed her in and looked at Harry. "Yes, she's going to be just fine. She's still unconscious but they only injected her with dental anesthesia. It just needs time to wear off. The doctor is going to call us as soon as she's awake. He did say they would be keeping her overnight just to monitor her for any side effects."

"Oh, thank goodness." Amanda breathed.

Harry stood up and gave Lee a big hug. Hugging him back, Lee whispered to him, "She's safe now."

Christina rushed across the room to hug Harry as soon as he released Lee. "Amanda had just told us what happened. We were so worried when you didn't come back right away," she told him.

Lee put his arm around Amanda. "I had to tell them. But I knew it would work out in the end, Sweetheart," she said quietly.

"How? We didn't know what she had been injected with?" Lee looked at her.

"Because of you. I knew she was going to be safe simply because of you," Amanda pulled him close to hold him, burying her head into his shoulder. Just as Lee squeezed her back, Charlie began to cry from the portable crib. At this point, no one was surprised when Lee was the first to move to get him. Picking him up at arms length again, he just looked at Amanda. She stood, laughing, "I know, you're not qualified," which made everyone else in the room laugh.

"Harry, why don't I show you and Christina to your room while Amanda gets Charlie cleaned up," Lee suggested after handing Charlie over to her. "And, maybe an early dinner for all of us. We can't do anything now but wait for the hospital to call."

"Sounds good to me. We haven't eaten since we left DC this morning," Harry admitted.

The three adults exited the room as Amanda put Charlie on the bed to change him again. Once Harry and Christina had retrieved their overnight bags from the car and deposited them into their room, they returned to find Amanda and Charlie waiting for them. Riding the elevator down, Lee stopped at the front desk. showing him his badge, he asked if the hospital called if they could be notified at the restaurant. The desk clerk assured them it wouldn't be a problem, they would send someone right over to get them.

At the restaurant, everyone was relaxed and at ease. Charlie, all smiles throughout the meal, was passed between the adults as they ate, somehow spending most of his time on Lee's lap. Harry couldn't help notice how often both Amanda and Lee interacted with the baby, how natural it was for both of them. He knew Amanda would mother the baby regardless but he never expected Lee to willingly offer to take the baby so someone could finish their meal without little hands grabbing at silverware or napkins.

After dessert and coffee, they walked back to the hotel together. Checking in at the front desk, the hospital had not called yet so they returned to Lee and Amanda's room as a group. As they started to talk about the rest of the evening, the phone rang, startling all of them. Lee picked it up, "Hello - Stetson here."

"Mr. Stetson, hi, this is Dr. Olufsen. Miss Proctor is awake and asking for her son. She is slightly confused but her vitals are good," the doctor informed him.

"That's great news, Doctor. We'll be there shortly," Lee smiled at everyone.

"She has been moved out of the ER into a room on the 2nd floor. 212B. Just come into the main entrance, and head up the first set of elevators. She is right across from the nurse's station. Her nurse this evening is Carla Butler. I'll let her know you are on your way," Dr. Olufsen replied.

"Thank you, we'll be there soon." Lee hung up the phone. "Lauren's awake and asking for Charlie. We should head over there now." Amanda had Charlie in her arms so Lee picked up the car seat. "We'll have to take Lauren's car, Harry, you and Christina want to follow us over there? It might be a tight squeeze in one."

It didn't take long before they had Charlie's seat situated in the car, thanks to Amanda, and Harry and Christina following close behind. In just about 10 minutes they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Harry's stomach was filled with butterflies, seeing his daughter for the first time in many years.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Walking inside together, Amanda carried Charlie, Lee's hand guiding her back, Harry and Christina holding hands. They stopped just down the hall from Lauren's room when Harry reached out to touch Lee.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked Harry. He could see the nervousness on his face.

"I'm not sure… I don't know… Lee, how am I going to do this?" Harry asked tentatively. "She doesn't know who I really am."

Amanda reached out and squeezed Harry's hand. "She knows you, that's all that matters Harry. She knows you have cared about her all these years. Nothing will change that."

"She also doesn't know what her mother did for a living either but that's what got Lauren into this mess," Lee stated. "It's not going to be an easy conversation but it has to be done." Those words held so much meaning to both Lee and Amanda at that moment. Amanda looked at Lee, nodding.

"Why don't Lee and I go in first with Charlie. Give us a few minutes, then you two can come in. We can explain you came to help. She needs to know Charlie has been safe and that she is safe," Amanda suggested.

"Yeah, Amanda's right. Give us a few minutes," Lee agreed.

Christina put her hand on Harry's shoulder in comfort. His own inner turmoil could be seen on his face. "Let them go. You need a minute anyway."

Amanda reached out for Lee's hand as they walked into Lauren's room. Lauren was laying in the bed closest to the windows, the curtain drawn for privacy. Amanda spoke up softly to not scare her, "Lauren? It's Amanda Stetson. There's someone here who needs to see you."

She moved the curtain as Lauren turned her head toward them, "Charlie… OH… my baby… You're safe!"

Amanda brought Charlie over to her, carefully placing the baby in his mother's arms. Lee followed, standing behind her, placing his hands on Amanda's arms, "You've got a great little boy there."

Lauren looked up at them, tears in her eyes threatening to spill over, "I don't know how to thank you for keeping him safe. All I could think about was him."

"You're safe too. You both are," Amanda replied as she crossed her arms to hold Lee's hands. "How are you feeling?"

Lauren kissed Charlie's head gently, "Ok, I guess. My head still feels fuzzy and my stomach is off but the doctor said I'll be fine. It's just going to take a few more hours for this stuff to wear off. Why me? Why did they want me?"

Lee decided it would be best if he explained so he gently squeezed Amanda's hands and began to speak. "Lauren, really this had nothing to do with you. The men that grabbed you… one of them, his mother was Alina Kursk and he wanted information about her death. He thought your mother was more… involved… than she was. She wasn't responsible for Alina's death, just for getting information from her. Do you know anything about what she did or where she worked? Who she worked for?"

Lauren shook her head no, "She never said a word. She would go out once or twice a week, dressed up and when she came home she was either in a good mood or angry. When she met my dad… my stepdad… Steve… she only went once or twice a month."

"Lauren, I'm not sure how to tell you, but your mom worked for a federal agency. She helped… collect… information," Amanda tried to explain.

"That's not possible… my Mom? A federal agent? No, I don't believe you," Lauren said firmly.

Amanda sat on the edge of Lauren's bed, gently touching Charlie's head, "Would you believe I'm a federal agent? I have two teenage boys at home, I'm part of the PTA at their school, run the bake sale for Little League too."

Lauren looked at her, narrowing her eyes. "You? How did…?" she started to ask.

"How did I get involved? That man right there," Amanda pointed at Lee. "He needed my help almost 5 years ago and I couldn't say no. The rest is history. My point is, Lauren, I'm one of the least assuming people to be an agent. Your mom was too. She started working for Harry Thornton as a secretary. Then from what we can figure out got recruited by another agent, Victor Dunforth…"

"Dunforth? I've heard that name before… My mother… my mother used to talk to him on the phone once in awhile…. I can't remember right now when... " Lauren's eyes widened as the pieces were beginning to fit together. "Wait, Uncle Harry? He's a federal agent too?"

Harry and Christina were outside the door listening to the exchange. As Amanda began to answer, "Harry is…"

Harry stepped into the room, interrupting her. "Yes, Lauren. I was a federal agent. I was the one who asked your mother to work for me, a long long time ago. Your mother didn't work for me long. Just a few years. I didn't know Dunforth kept her as a contact and a collector."

"Uncle Harry? Why are you here? How are you here? I don't understand," Lauren looked from one face to another, looking for answers.

Amanda looked down at Charlie again, gently rubbing his arm. She turned and looked at Lee. "Lauren, we called Harry to help us with Charlie. So we could look for you. We needed someone we could trust, someone that knew you, someone…" Lee tried to explain.

Harry moved over to the side of the bed beside Lauren and Charlie. He reached out to hold Charlie's hand for a moment then said, "I came to help keep my grandson protected."

Lauren gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth, "Then if Charlie is your grandson, that makes you my…"

Harry put his hand on Lauren's shoulder, "Your father. Yes. Your mom left the Agency when she found out she was pregnant with you. Moved here to keep you safe. I never wanted that but she was afraid you would never be safe if anyone knew our relationship."

"But… but why would she lie to me. Why didn't she ever tell me?" Lauren was crying now, hugging Charlie close to her.

Harry rubbed her shoulder, "I don't know. To protect you. But I was able to see you grow up, sort of. She sent me pictures, wrote letters. I got to see you, spend time with you. When you got older I was afraid you would start asking questions so I backed off. I regret that now. But I always loved you. And I've always regretted the day I didn't fight for you. I should have begged your mother to stay. Instead, I thought I was doing what was best for you both by letting her go."

Christina had been quiet during this exchange, just watching them. "Lauren, you would do anything to keep Charlie safe, wouldn't you? Even if it meant taking him away from family?" she asked gently.

Lauren looked down at her son, staring back up at her. "Charlie is all I have left for family. I would do anything for him."

Lee looked at her, "He's not the only family you have now."

Lauren looked up at everyone, "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. What you do need to do is get some rest tonight so you can go home tomorrow. I'm pretty sure Charlie misses his mama. He's in good hands for one more night but after that, we've got to get back to DC so I can be with my own boys," Amanda said.

Lauren hugged Charlie close but looked at Amanda and Lee, "I don't know how to thank you for what you've done. Knowing Charlie was in good hands… I don't have words for that."

Lee smiled, "He's a great baby. He's been so easy, even I could handle him."

Amanda laughed, "Well, except for when his diaper is a little stinky."

Everyone in the room laughed at her comment. Lee made a face and replied, "I said it, I'm not qualified for those… yet."

Amanda turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised as if questioning him.

Dr. Olufsen entered the room, at the sound of the laughter. "Ms. Proctor, it's great to see you smiling. Such a change from when they brought you in a few hours ago. How are you feeling?"

Lauren looked at the doctor, "Better. Still a little groggy but better."

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you need to rest, so I'm going to ask everyone to respect that. We have a few tests we'd like to run just to rule out any reactions," Dr. Olufsen explained.

"What time will you release her tomorrow, Doc?" Lee asked, knowing she probably wanted to be home as soon as possible but he also knew she needed to be interviewed but the local agents.

"Provided her tests come back fine, I don't see any reason she can't go home around 11:00," Dr. Olufsen replied.

Lee explained, "Lauren, a couple of agents will need to come by to talk to you about what happened. Would you rather they do it here or at their office? The sooner they get the report done, the sooner it can be over."

Lauren shrugged her shoulders, "Here I guess. First thing in the morning? Then I can go home… WE can go home." She looked down at Charlie again.

Amanda walked over beside the bed to take Charlie from Lauren but not before she gave him another hug and kiss on his head. "We'll be here first thing in the morning. Get some rest."

Lauren thanked her again, slowly releasing Charlie's hand, tears in her eyes. Harry noticed, so he put his hand over hers, "He's in the best hands he could be in next to yours. Believe me."

Lauren sighed, "Harry, I… don't know what to say or feel right now… but I do know my mother loved you. Even though she married Steve, she still loved you. I have a lot to think about as far as you and I go but thank you for taking care of Charlie too. Someday he'll understand what I've always known about you. You're a good man."

Harry could barely contain his own emotions so instead of trying to use the words, he pulled Lauren close in a hug. Reluctantly, she hugged him back, releasing him slowly.

Lee reached out to touch Lauren's arm once Harry had stood. "I'll have the agents come by around 9:30 so we can be here too. Get some rest."

Amanda and Lee with Charlie left the room as Harry and Christina hung back for a few more minutes. Lee stopped at a row of payphones in the lobby to call Billy. He asked him to relay the message to Miller and Rockwood to debrief Lauren at 9:30 the next morning. As he hung up the phone, Harry and Christina joined them.

"Well, I guess there's nothing more we need to do tonight except get Charlie back, fed and into bed for the night," Lee decided.

Amanda agreed, "It's getting late. We should all probably get some rest."

Harry looked at them, "I think Christina and I are going to walk the beach for a bit tonight before settling in. I have a lot to think about myself, not just Lauren."

"Well, we should meet for breakfast then. There is a restaurant in the lobby. How about 8:00?" Amanda suggested.

Christina smiled, "That sounds lovely. Breakfast it is. Have a good night. Do you think Charlie will be ok for the night?"

Amanda smiled at the older woman, "He was fine last night although I don't think Lee will attempt to change his diaper again in the middle of the night." She laughed at the memory.

Lee narrowed his eyes at her, jokingly, "You didn't tell me what could happen. If I knew, I wouldn't have gotten wet, now would I?"

Harry let out a deep laugh, slapping Lee on the arm as he did. "I'll say it again, I never thought I'd see the day, Scarecrow."

Lee reached out and took Charlie from Amanda's arms. "Come on, Charlie. Let's get out of here before they conspire against us." He began walking toward the exit.

"Sweetheart," Amanda called after them. Lee continued to walk, smiling, although Amanda couldn't see it. She ran after them, catching them just as they got in the car. "Hey, what was that all about?"

Lee was still smiling. He leaned into the car, carefully buckling Charlie into his carseat. Standing, he looked at Amanda across the hood of the car and said, "Nothing. I was just thinking I wanted to get my beautiful wife back to the hotel, alone. Well, sort of alone."

"Ohhhh," Amanda shook her head as she climbed into the passenger seat.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

At the hotel, Amanda and Lee took a divide and conquer approach to getting Charlie ready for the night. As Amanda made and warmed his bottle, Lee carefully changed his diaper and clothes, putting his pajamas on him. Lee handed Charlie over to her, citing he wanted to take a quick shower while she fed him.

Not 15 minutes later, Lee exited the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel hugging low on his hips. Amanda was just putting Charlie in the portable crib when she turned around, inhaling sharply at her husband's appearance. Lee smiled, all dimples, at her reaction. "Nice to see Charlie isn't the only man to get your attention this evening," he teased.

Amanda dropped her eyes and blushed. Even though they were married, he still had that effect on her. She walked across the room to him, slowly, watching his face as she did. Stopping in front of him, she reached out and touched his chest, sliding her hand down, feeling the muscles tighten under her fingers. Lee captured her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "Amanda, we should talk," he began.

Confused, she tilted her head to look at him. "Weren't you the one that said you wanted to get your wife back to the hotel… alone? Now you just want to talk?" she asked.

"Here, sit here with me for a minute," Lee led her to the edge of the bed. Sitting down, he held her hand still, playing with her fingers as he began to speak. "Amanda, I've been thinking about what Harry and Christina said earlier today. And I've decided we were both wrong, hiding… this… from everyone. So I have a plan."

"Lee, I…" Amanda tried to interrupt.

"No wait, hear me out. You know I love you and your boys and I don't want to do anything to put them in danger but Harry is right. And Christina too. Our jobs can be dangerous but life itself is too. There are so many things out there that can hurt the boys that have nothing to do with us. I don't want to be miles away if something does happen. I want to be there with you every morning when you wake up and every night when you go to sleep. I want to be part of the morning chaos, getting the boys ready for school, making lunches, reminding them about homework. I even want to be there when your mother is sorting out the laundry, commenting on my socks," Lee let out a deep breath.

Amanda sighed, "I want that too."

Holding her hands tightly in his, he continued, not sure of how she would react to the next part of his ramble. "Amanda, the last two days… I've come to learn something about myself I never knew before. I want to be a dad, not just to your boys either. They have their own father although at time I question Joe's … methods… but my point is… Amanda… I want…"

Amanda put her fingers to his lips to silence him. Lee didn't realize he had been looking down the whole time until their eyes connected and he could see hers filled glistening with tears. "Lee, I love you. And you're right… Harry and Christina are right. Enough is enough. I don't want to hide anything anymore. But we can't go home now and just announce we're married. That will destroy my boys. And my mother? I can't do that to them. But being here with you… and with Charlie… I thought it was just me… missing my boys being that little. You have been wonderful with Charlie, Sweetheart and well… I want that with you. It's not going to be easy but then again, nothing we've done has been easy."

Lee pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly. Softly he said, "So Mrs. Stetson, I guess the question remains. Do we want to have a baby?"

Amanda smiled as she whispered back, "With you? Yes. But I think we need to figure out what to do about our marriage first."

Lee pulled back grinning from ear to ear, his dimples deep. "I have a plan. When is Joe's wedding again?"

"September 12. If you read your invitation instead of complaining about it…" Amanda laughed.

"Yeah yeah… Ok. What day did we meet?" Lee asked knowing exactly what day they had met.

"Um, October 3rd. Why?" Amanda was trying to figure out where he was going with this.

"Do you know what day of the week that falls on this year, Mrs. Stetson?" Lee teased, playing with a lock of her hair as he did.

Amanda laughed, "No, but I bet you do and you're going to tell me aren't you."

"October 3rd just so happens to fall on a Saturday. So, how about we have a small ceremony, your family, Billy, Francine, hell, even my uncle. Nothing big, elaborate, just something for everyone to witness us exchanging our vow… again," Lee suggested.

"I would love that, Sweetheart, but how are we going to…" Amanda began.

"This weekend. We tell them we got engaged this weekend. That we don't want to wait, we don't need to wait," Lee tried, pulling her hands to his chest.

"You don't think it's too sudden for the boys?" Amanda worried.

"You said it yourself, you wanted me to start spending the night with them home. Well, now we have a solid reason. We're not just dating… we have a commitment… as far as they're concerned. Amanda, it's perfect. You're mother will even approve," Lee was trying hard to convince her. "I love you, Amanda, and I want to spend the rest of our lives living together as we should be."

"You really think it will work? We can convince everyone? No one will be suspicious?" Amanda wanted to believe it could work but that little nugget of doubt still remained.

"Convince anyone how we feel about each other? No. Convince everyone you've managed to get me to make a commitment? Well… that might take a little work on your part. Especially with Francine," Lee winked at her.

"What about Dr. Smyth? What do you think he's going to do?" Amanda worried again.

"I don't give a damn about Dr. Smyth. Amanda, we can't let all these what ifs control our lives. Look where it's gotten us so far," Lee said adamantly.

"Ok then, what about our jobs. What do we tell Mother and the boys? We have to tell them something. I'm pretty sure Mother is suspicious of what we do already," Amanda asked.

Lee took a deep breath, "Well, I was thinking about that, too. We could give them a modified version. Tell them we work for IFF, which according to our paychecks, we do, but IFF does work for the Government. We work on a regular basis with Intelligence Agents and most of what we do with them we can't talk about anyway… It's not the whole truth but parts of it are true."

Amanda let out the breath she had been holding, "I guess you're right. That's pretty close to the truth, minus the fact that we are the Agents and IFF is only a front but…"

"No buts. No more buts. What do you say? Marry me? Again," Lee pleaded.

Closing her eyes, Amanda knew the answer was in her heart, "Of course I'll marry you, Sweetheart."

Lee hugged her close, "I love you. And we are going to make this work. I promise you."

"I love you, too. I know we can make this work, I'm just nervous, that's all." Amanda admitted.

"There's nothing to be nervous about. We're going to get through this together." Lee assured her. He leaned forward to kiss her lightly. "Now let's say we start practicing on how to make our baby, shall we?"

Amanda laughed lightly, kissing him back, "I don't need practice making them. I've done that twice already."

Lee leaned back, looking at her, "Well, I think I need some practice. Or maybe we can just practice on how to keep you quiet again so the boys won't hear us."

"Now that is something we can both use practice doing. The last thing I want is my boys hearing us. Or my mother…" Amanda smiled again.

Between kisses Lee teased, "I'm sure your mother would just be jealous if she heard us."

"Well, I don't want to give her a reason to find out," Amanda said kissing him back. "So, how quiet do you think we can be?"

"Only one way to find out," Lee whispered in her ear as he pulled her shirt from her waistband of her jeans. Amanda responded by pulling the towel from his waist. Quickly he finished removing the rest of Amanda's clothes as quiet as he could, only having to shush her a few times as he teased, tickled and touched her. Laying side by side, they took their time exploring each other. They came together twice without waking Charlie, falling asleep exhausted in each other's arms.

When they did hear him begin to awaken, it was Lee who got out of bed first to get him. Amanda kissed Lee softly before heading into the bathroom to warm Charlie's bottle. Lee once again changed his diaper, without getting sprayed this time.

As Amanda fed him, Lee sat beside her, his arm around her thinking this could be their life within the next year. This could be them, with their own child. The idea brought tears to his eyes as he watched Charlie. Reaching out he played with his little feet, rubbing his legs gently. Quietly he said, "I'm gonna miss this little guy. Tomorrow he's going back to his mom where he belongs but I'm gonna miss him."

Amanda leaned forward to give him another light kiss, "Me, too. But maybe this time next year…." she just smiled at the thought. She picked Charlie up, gave him a kiss on his cheek before laying him back into the portable crib. Walking back to the bed, she climbed in beside Lee. Curling up on Lee's chest, she rubbed a line from his ribs to his waist unconsciously. Lee held her close, kissing the top of her head. Smiling she whispered, "Maybe we should practice some more. I'm not sure we've got it right yet."

Lee laughed and growled at the same time. Pulling her face to his he kissed her deeply. As they separated he teased, "Well, I believe you said not too long ago that practice makes perfect."

"Yes, I did," Amanda replied against his lips.

Charlie didn't wake up until the sun began to creep through the windows which Amanda and Lee were grateful for. When he did begin to whimper, Lee looked at the clock and silently cursed it. Amanda was still curled beside him, sound asleep, exhausted from their activities the previous night. It was a wonderful feeling, waking up with sore muscles from a long night of making love with his wife.

As Lee climbed out of the bed, Charlie was beginning to cry louder. He reached down to pick him up, quietly talking to him as he did. "Just a few more hours, buddy, then you'll be back with your Mama where you belong." Charlie quieted down almost immediately as if he understood what Lee was saying to him. Looking down at the baby, Lee smiled once again. "Let's wake up Amanda and get your breakfast going so we can meet with your Grandpa too." He climbed on the bed beside her, slipping the baby beside her. Reaching over, Lee gently rubbed her shoulder as Charlie reached up to touch her face with his chubby little hands.

Amanda woke, opening her eyes slowly. "Hey Charlie, did you sleep well?" she asked him as she touched his hands.

"Did you sleep well, Mrs. Stetson?" Lee asked Amanda.

"When I was able to, yes, quite well. But I'm not complaining. I think we are almost experts at baby making now so when we are ready…" Amanda reached up to touch Lee's face softly.

"We'll be ready. But for now, Charlie needs to be changed and a bottle before we get ready to meet Harry and Christina for breakfast," Lee explained as he got up to get a diaper for Charlie. They took the divide and conquer approach again, taking turns showering as well. They were all ready in just over an hour, with a little bit of time to spare before they met for breakfast.

Amanda packed Charlie's diaper bag, checking the hotel room several times to make sure they didn't miss anything. Lee brought the bag as well as the backpack to Lauren's car, knowing they would have to take two cars to the hospital. Returning to their room, Lee picked up Charlie, giving him a small hug, he turned to Amanda and said, "Ready?" Amanda nodded, and the three made their way down the elevator to the lobby restaurant where Harry and Christina were waiting for them.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Breakfast as a simple affair. Lee even ordered a lemon poppyseed muffin with his coffee but declared Amanda's much better after eating only a few bites. He held Charlie most of the meal, passing him over to Harry when asked. Once their meal was finished and paid for, Lee excused himself to call Billy before they headed over to the hospital. He stopped at the row of payphones near the doors.

"Melrose," Billy answered.

"Billy, it's Scarecrow. Were the local boys able to pick up Tsipkin?" Lee asked.

"Without a hitch. He's been talking non-stop since," Billy informed him.

"About what?" Lee was curious. He knew Max Tsipkin himself had no ties to Russian Intelligence so what could he possible know that would be worth anything.

"After picking him up, he brought the boys back to his house. He had inherited it from his mother and in the attic was a bevy of files all about the finances of the Embassy. Turns out, she was keeping two sets of books for them. That's where he learned about the Coreforce list. Oh, by the way, tell Amanda good work on that. Crypto has gone through everything and it was complete. They matched everything up to that diary as well. If only I had known about all of this before hand I never would have sent you two down there," Billy stated.

Lee nodded, "You know what though, it's been the best thing for us. Amanda and I have some… news… for you when we get back."

Billy's interest was completely peaked, "Oh really? Something you want to share with me now?" He sat up in his chair, leaning over his desk slightly.

"No, Amanda needs to tell you, not just me," Lee said firmly.

"How's your new little friend… what was his name, Charlie?" Billy teased as he relaxed back into his chair again.

Lee shook his head, knowing Billy was only trying to get to him, "Charlie is just fine. We're meeting Lauren at the hospital in a few minutes for her debriefing then he's going home where he belongs."

"Do you think Lauren is going to be okay after all this? I mean it's a lot to take in all at once," Billy's voice was thick with concern.

"I think so. She's probably going to need some therapy of some kind to get past it. Maybe Pfaff has some contacts here in Virginia Beach that could help her. And I'm sure Harry is going to in contact with her more," Lee admitted.

"That may go a long way with her. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my brain around Harry and Margaret Duncan and he never told anyone. I don't know how he stayed away all those years," Billy said, thinking of his own two daughters. He had been there almost everyday for their entire lives and he had a hard time thinking about all the things Harry missed out on.

"He wanted to keep her safe and thought if she didn't know, she would be. But if you could have seen his face yesterday, I'm sure he's regretting that decision. Listen, Billy, I gotta go. We're heading over to the hospital now. If anything else comes up, let me know, otherwise Amanda and I will see you first thing Monday morning," Lee said, as he hung up the phone.

Amanda walked up, carrying Charlie. "Ready?" she asked.

"Let's go bring Charlie back to his mom," Lee said, hugging both her and Charlie. "Harry, meet you over there?"

"Yeah, I just need to grab something from our luggage. We'll see you there," Harry replied as he and Christina continued to walk toward the elevators.

Lee drove the 'Vette and Amanda drove Lauren's car over to the hospital. Together they made their way to Lauren's room where she was already dressed and waiting for them.

"Lauren, you look so much better than you did yesterday, " Amanda said as she handed Charlie over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a new person. Free. I don't know, I don't know how to explain it. I'm not afraid anymore," Lauren admitted, hugging Charlie, rubbing her cheek on his head as she did.

Lee could see the relief in her face to have Charlie back in her arms, for good this time. "The other agents will be here in a few minutes. They just need to ask you questions about what happened. Are you ok with that? Amanda can stay here with you if you want, if it would make you feel more comfortable."

Lauren looked from Lee to Amanda then back down at Charlie again, "I still don't know how to thank you for taking care of him the last few days. All I could think about was him …. "

Amanda reached out and patted her arm. "It's ok. Seeing you together is all the thanks we need. Besides, it's been a rather… enlightening…. Experience being with Charlie. For both of us," she said quietly.

"Oh really?" Harry commented as he entered the room. "Do that mean what I think it means, Scarecrow?"

"Harry… it means Amanda and I will be having a long talk with her boys and her mother when we get home. And Billy on Monday morning. Just keep your eye on your mail too… " Lee laughed.

"Well, sooner rather than later I hope. Lauren, are you feeling better today?" Harry asked, unsure how the conversation was going to go.

"Harry, thank you. Much. I did a lot of thinking last night, about my mom, you. I'm not angry with you if that's what you think. Confused yes, but not angry. It means a lot to me that you came to help with Charlie, too. I hope it wasn't too much trouble. DC is a long drive." Lauren admitted. She was feeling a little uncomfortable but she knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Lauren, I have something for you, something I don't know if you know or knew about before. You don't have to take it now, but if you want to, it's yours," Harry said as he handed her the bank book for the account he had been making deposits into. He had written the numbers down and planned on getting a duplicate copy made when he returned to DC.

Lauren looked at the outside of the bank book, confused. Opening it, she saw the balance in the account, her eyes widened. "Harry, what… where did this come from?" she asked.

"Me. Since you were a little girl, I've put money in that account. Your mother used it to pay for things for you as she needed but the account hasn't been touched in a few years. That is all yours, if you want it," Harry explained.

"But Harry, I can't accept," Lauren shook her head no.

"Yes, you can. It's always been yours. If I were here with you it would have been yours everyday, right from my own wallet, my own pocket, not like this," Harry's voice was shaking, he was desperate for her to understand.

"Harry. I don't know what…" Lauren started but her voice trailed off. Things were tight with Charlie, his daycare. The money would help make things easier.

"Don't say anything, please. Just accept it. And I'm not going to stop making deposits. For Charlie. I lost so much time with you I don't want to do that with him. Please. Let me be a part of your lives. Please." Harry pleaded. He reached forward to touch Charlie's head still nestled against his mother's shoulder.

Quietly, Lauren replied, "Yes. I'd like that. I think Charlie would like that."

Harry leaned down, kneeling, to hug her. When he stood, there were tears in his eyes. He wiped them away as the two agents walked into the room.

Lee noticed them and extended his hand, "Agent Rockwood, Agent Miller. Nice to see you both again. Lauren, these are the two agents I told you about. Harry Thornton, agents…"

"THE Harry Thornton. From DC? It's an honor to meet you, sir." Agent Miller reached out to shake his hand.

Lauren looked at Harry then back at Agent Miller, "You're, um, well known I take it?"

Agent Miller looked at her, "He's a legend."

Amanda smiled, "Lauren, do you want me to stay in here with you? Everyone else is going to have to leave but if you want me to stay…"

Lauren shook her head, "No, but thank you. I think I'll be ok. Is this going to take long?"

Agent Rockwood responded, "No, we just have a few questions. It shouldn't take long at all. Look, Scarecrow, Mr. Thornton, if you want to go get a cup of coffee, we should be done in about 30 minutes."

Lee reached out for Amanda's hand as Harry reached for Christina's. Hand in hand the couples walked to the coffee shop downstairs. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Amanda commented, "Harry, that was awful nice of you to give Lauren that bank book. I'm sure it's gonna help a lot."

Christina put her hand over Amanda's, "And hopefully we can spend more time with her, helping. Maybe this is the start of a new relationship for them."

Amanda nodded, "I'm sure it will be."

Harry spoke up, "So what's going on with you two? Are you going to keep hiding?"

"No, no more hiding. A little deception but only for a short time. We are done with that nonsense," Lee said firmly.

Harry slapped him on the shoulder, "Good! It's about time, Lee. And I expect to hear even more good news from you both." Harry winked at him.

Amanda blushed, looking down, "Harry. We need to learn to be a family with my boys first. Then, maybe, you never know." She shrugged her shoulders.

Lee put his arm around her, smiling, "Yeah, Harry, you never know. I never thought I would find Amanda but look at us now." He leaned in and kissed Amanda's cheek lightly. Amanda reached up and ran her hand down his cheek lovingly.

Harry cleared his throat to get their attention. "Do you want to start heading back? Lauren should be just about done," he said smiling at them.

The two couples made their way back to Lauren's room. Agent Rockwood was just thanking her as they were leaving. "Scarecrow, I think we are all set. If we have any other question, Miss Proctor has willingly given us her contact information. She was very helpful. Tsipkin might not see anything other than bars for a few years so I'm sure she feels safe knowing that. Mr. Thornton, it was a pleasure to meet you sir."

"Thanks. Will you send a copy of the report up to DC as well? I'd like to keep my own complete if you wouldn't mind," Lee asked.

Amanda looked at him, a half smile on her face. Usually she was the one completing his files for him. Stifling a laugh she replied, "Yes, he likes to be thorough with his reports. So much so he usually has me go over them to make sure he didn't miss anything."

Lee laughed at Amanda's comment. "She's right. I do. But that's what a good partner does, right?"

This time it was Harry's turn to laugh. "Well, if you need anything else, Mr. Melrose has our contact information as well. Thank you for your help," Agent Miller shook hands with everyone just before they left.

Entering the room, Lauren was smiling at Charlie who was laying on her bed, kicking his feet. "I missed this. Just watching him. I know it sounds crazy but I did," she said. "I can't wait to get him home."

Dr. Olufsen entered the room behind everyone, "How does now sound?" In his hands were her discharge papers. "The nurses said your vitals have been perfect all morning, your blood tests came back normal. I don't see why you need to be here any longer. I just need you to sign a few things and you can be on your way."

"Really, now? Oh, thank you doctor. You don't know what that means to me," Lauren gushed.

She took the papers he handed her, signing all the marked lines as necessary. When she got to the last page regarding the financial responsibility, Harry reached out to put his hand on hers.

"I'd like to take care of that for you. Please. If it wasn't for me, this never would have happened. If I had stepped up all those years ago…" Harry started.

"You don't need to, Harry. I have insurance, it should cover it. But thank you. And you don't know what could have happened," Lauren rubbed his hand with her other one.

"Ok. But if you need anything, you will tell me, won't you?" Harry asked, his eyes pleading.

Lauren smiled, "I do need something. Can you pick up Charlie? He's a little restless on the bed."

Harry smiled back at her, "It would be my pleasure." Turning he picked up the baby, kissing his cheek as he did.

Once all the paperwork was signed Dr. Olufsen announced she was free to go and departed the room. Lauren stood, walking over to Amanda. She wrapped her arms around her in a silent hug, words not necessary to convey her meaning. Lauren then reached out to Lee and ran her hand down his arm, also in a silent thanks. Turning to Harry and Christina she offered, "Do you want to come by my home? See where Charlie and I live now?"

Harry's eyes teared up instantly so Christina answered for him, "We would love that."

"Amanda and I should get going. Lauren, if you ever need anything, please, don't hesitate. We have a few more things to take care of before we head back to DC. Harry, Christina? Will we see you back at the hotel?" Lee turned to them.

"No, Christina and I already checked out. We're going to head back later to DC. I'll see you both back there," Harry answered.

"Alright then, well, Amanda and I will get going then. Lauren," Lee nodded at her. He stopped at Harry, touching Charlie's feet one last time.

Amanda followed him, stopping to rub Charlie's little back. Smiling at Lauren, she said, "Anything you need."

Lauren smiled at the two of them, "Thank you."

Lee and Amanda left the hospital room, Amanda reaching for Lee's hand as they walked down the hall. Outside they stopped at Lee's car, Lee took both of Amanda's hands in his. "What would you like to do now? We can pack up and head back home if you want."

"Or, we can spend one more night here just being Mr. and Mrs. Stetson. No interruptions, no work," she said bringing their hands up to her chest.

"Well then, if that's the case, I just have one thing to do when we get to the hotel," Lee said, grinning.

"What's that?" Amanda asked, raising her eyebrow in question.

"I need to call your mother," Lee stated as he grinned like the proverbial Cheshire Cat. Leaning forward he kissed her, slowly.

_* To be continued in A New Normal *_


End file.
